(Charleston-AP) May 10, 2005 - State Farm has cut auto insurance rates for its best drivers for the second time in six months.
State Farm cut its insurance rates by an average of 3.6 percent last month. That followed a 2.6 percent cut in November.
Company spokesman Bruce White says the total savings for policyholders will be nearly $17-million dollars a year.
State Farm says most customers will see some reduction in their premiums. The amount varies based on the number of tickets or accidents in the past few years, where they live or what car they drive.
The company says most of the rate cut comes from deeper discounts extended to the comprehensive portion of policies, which cover losses from theft, vandalism, fire, storm damage and broken widows.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Blacks less likey to have Health Insurance
Young adults and blacks are more likely than the general population to be without health insurance, and three-fifths of the working uninsured are employed in the service sector, according to the first state survey on health insurance.
The survey, based on information from about 17,000 Pennsylvanians, was released Monday and comes just before state-budget negotiations that will likely revolve around the increasing cost of the state's health coverage for disabled and low-income people.
State officials say a 61-page report outlining the survey results gives them more information than ever to guide the state's various publicly funded health insurance plans.
Overall, the survey estimated that 8 percent of Pennsylvanians, or 900,000 people, lack health insurance, less than the 11 percent, or 1.3 million, reported by the Census Bureau.
"The good news is that it's 8 percent, not 11 percent," Rosemarie Greco, the director of the Office of Health Care Reform, said at a Capitol news conference. "Whether it's 900,000 or 1.3 million, it's still too many people."
Close to 1.9 million Pennsylvanians have coverage through Medicaid or one of the state's low-cost insurance programs, while two-thirds, or about 8 million, are insured through the private market.
Excluding senior citizens, who qualify for Medicare coverage, 9 percent of Pennsylvanians 64 and younger do not have health insurance, well below the national average of 17 percent, officials said.
By far, the largest percentage of the uninsured by age are young adults. One-fifth of adults between 18 and 34 are uninsured, accounting for half of those without insurance.
Slightly less than half the uninsured between 18 and 64 work full time, and most said they cannot afford to pay the premiums on the plans offered by their employers.
Three-fifths of the employed uninsured work in the service industry while one-fifth work in retail. Insurance Commissioner Diane Koken said she expects those populations will continue to rise as the economy shifts away from manufacturing.
Those without health insurance "go without needed medical attention, or they go into debt or bankruptcy," Koken said.
Greco and Koken said among the survey's surprises was that 9 percent of Hispanics are uninsured, a figure closer than previously thought to the state average.
On the other hand, some statistics were higher than anticipated, such as uninsured blacks at 14 percent. Also, children 11 to 18 accounted for two-thirds of all uninsured children. Department officials said they are already using the information to figure out how to better reach those groups.
To cover more people, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed using contributions from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans and more federal tobacco settlement money to double the size of the state's low-cost adult health plan, which currently covers 37,000 people.
Also, business groups are pushing various measures in the Legislature that they say would lower the cost of insurance and give more plan options to small employers.
The telephone survey was conducted between March and September of 2004, and gathered information from 6,700 households in all 67 counties covering 17,000 people. The sample margin of error was plus or minus 1.1 percent.
The survey, based on information from about 17,000 Pennsylvanians, was released Monday and comes just before state-budget negotiations that will likely revolve around the increasing cost of the state's health coverage for disabled and low-income people.
State officials say a 61-page report outlining the survey results gives them more information than ever to guide the state's various publicly funded health insurance plans.
Overall, the survey estimated that 8 percent of Pennsylvanians, or 900,000 people, lack health insurance, less than the 11 percent, or 1.3 million, reported by the Census Bureau.
"The good news is that it's 8 percent, not 11 percent," Rosemarie Greco, the director of the Office of Health Care Reform, said at a Capitol news conference. "Whether it's 900,000 or 1.3 million, it's still too many people."
Close to 1.9 million Pennsylvanians have coverage through Medicaid or one of the state's low-cost insurance programs, while two-thirds, or about 8 million, are insured through the private market.
Excluding senior citizens, who qualify for Medicare coverage, 9 percent of Pennsylvanians 64 and younger do not have health insurance, well below the national average of 17 percent, officials said.
By far, the largest percentage of the uninsured by age are young adults. One-fifth of adults between 18 and 34 are uninsured, accounting for half of those without insurance.
Slightly less than half the uninsured between 18 and 64 work full time, and most said they cannot afford to pay the premiums on the plans offered by their employers.
Three-fifths of the employed uninsured work in the service industry while one-fifth work in retail. Insurance Commissioner Diane Koken said she expects those populations will continue to rise as the economy shifts away from manufacturing.
Those without health insurance "go without needed medical attention, or they go into debt or bankruptcy," Koken said.
Greco and Koken said among the survey's surprises was that 9 percent of Hispanics are uninsured, a figure closer than previously thought to the state average.
On the other hand, some statistics were higher than anticipated, such as uninsured blacks at 14 percent. Also, children 11 to 18 accounted for two-thirds of all uninsured children. Department officials said they are already using the information to figure out how to better reach those groups.
To cover more people, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed using contributions from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans and more federal tobacco settlement money to double the size of the state's low-cost adult health plan, which currently covers 37,000 people.
Also, business groups are pushing various measures in the Legislature that they say would lower the cost of insurance and give more plan options to small employers.
The telephone survey was conducted between March and September of 2004, and gathered information from 6,700 households in all 67 counties covering 17,000 people. The sample margin of error was plus or minus 1.1 percent.
Monday, May 9, 2005
Middle class struggles with health insurance
I hate to break the obsession with the runaway bride and Michael Jackson, but the health insurance problem is getting worse. According to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, of the 45 million Americans lacking health insurance, more than 20 million are working.
Today, even being employed is no guarantee of health care.
Conservatives sometimes say this doesn't mean people aren't treated; they can go to an emergency room.
In fact, the report said that between one-third and one-half of the uninsured have not been able to see a doctor in the past year because of cost. We also hear that these are largely healthy folks who choose to forgo insurance. In fact, one in five adults without coverage reports being in poor or fair health, vs. one in nine of the insured.
In Texas 27 percent of employed adults are uninsured. New Mexico, Louisiana and Florida also have large numbers of workers lacking coverage. Arizona has nothing to brag about, with 17 percent uninsured. But the problem goes even deeper.
• Taxpayer-funded AHCCCS, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, covers many workers in this low-wage state. Remember, in Maricopa County alone an astonishing 71 percent of jobs pay below the national mean. In a sense, AHCCCS is a growing public subsidy for employers - including some of the most profitable companies in history - that don't cover employees.
• But AHCCCS eligibility rules can bounce workers in and out of coverage, depending on their wages, with waiting periods in between with no insurance. Arizonans are particularly vulnerable with so many people working in the cyclical trades.
• Small businesses increasingly find it difficult to afford insurance for their employees, sending more workers into public health care or the ranks of the uninsured.
• Sudden illness can ruin uninsured families. A Harvard study shows that about half of personal bankruptcies are a result of medical catastrophes.
• Even as companies have enjoyed record profits and productivity growth in the past few years, more are cutting health benefits.
In Mesa, Sarah and Aaron Arnett and their three children live this frightening reality.
Aaron Arnett works for his father's roofing company, which is too small to afford employee insurance. If he has a good year, the family can't qualify for AHCCCS; yet a good year doesn't pay enough to afford individual insurance.
"It scares me a lot," said Sarah Arnett, 27. "All I know is everyone my age has this problem. We're sitting on the bubble. We're all middle class. I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
For America, doing nothing is increasingly untenable. And relying on the current patchwork won't work, either. It is no longer the finest system in the world, as everything from its high costs to numbers of uninsured attests.
There's a larger context. About the kindest thing one can say is that our leaders are out of touch with the ways changes in the economy are hollowing out the security and promise of middle-class America. Health care is only part of a broad breaking of the social contract.
Yet these changes aren't all natural disasters.
Somebody passed a law that will make it harder to file bankruptcy, and somebody is benefiting. So on down the line, from minimum wage to Medicare. Winners and losers. Insiders and outsiders.
It's enough to make you sick.
Today, even being employed is no guarantee of health care.
Conservatives sometimes say this doesn't mean people aren't treated; they can go to an emergency room.
In fact, the report said that between one-third and one-half of the uninsured have not been able to see a doctor in the past year because of cost. We also hear that these are largely healthy folks who choose to forgo insurance. In fact, one in five adults without coverage reports being in poor or fair health, vs. one in nine of the insured.
In Texas 27 percent of employed adults are uninsured. New Mexico, Louisiana and Florida also have large numbers of workers lacking coverage. Arizona has nothing to brag about, with 17 percent uninsured. But the problem goes even deeper.
• Taxpayer-funded AHCCCS, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, covers many workers in this low-wage state. Remember, in Maricopa County alone an astonishing 71 percent of jobs pay below the national mean. In a sense, AHCCCS is a growing public subsidy for employers - including some of the most profitable companies in history - that don't cover employees.
• But AHCCCS eligibility rules can bounce workers in and out of coverage, depending on their wages, with waiting periods in between with no insurance. Arizonans are particularly vulnerable with so many people working in the cyclical trades.
• Small businesses increasingly find it difficult to afford insurance for their employees, sending more workers into public health care or the ranks of the uninsured.
• Sudden illness can ruin uninsured families. A Harvard study shows that about half of personal bankruptcies are a result of medical catastrophes.
• Even as companies have enjoyed record profits and productivity growth in the past few years, more are cutting health benefits.
In Mesa, Sarah and Aaron Arnett and their three children live this frightening reality.
Aaron Arnett works for his father's roofing company, which is too small to afford employee insurance. If he has a good year, the family can't qualify for AHCCCS; yet a good year doesn't pay enough to afford individual insurance.
"It scares me a lot," said Sarah Arnett, 27. "All I know is everyone my age has this problem. We're sitting on the bubble. We're all middle class. I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
For America, doing nothing is increasingly untenable. And relying on the current patchwork won't work, either. It is no longer the finest system in the world, as everything from its high costs to numbers of uninsured attests.
There's a larger context. About the kindest thing one can say is that our leaders are out of touch with the ways changes in the economy are hollowing out the security and promise of middle-class America. Health care is only part of a broad breaking of the social contract.
Yet these changes aren't all natural disasters.
Somebody passed a law that will make it harder to file bankruptcy, and somebody is benefiting. So on down the line, from minimum wage to Medicare. Winners and losers. Insiders and outsiders.
It's enough to make you sick.
Many Lack Health Insurance
Washington -- Working Americans make up nearly half of the uninsured, says a new report issued at the recent launch of Cover the Uninsured Week. The findings sparked calls for government attention to the problem.
Of the 45 million Americans with out health insurance, more than 20 million are working adults, the analysis released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed.
That finding "is particularly troubling, as much of the insurance market in this country is employment-based," said John C. Nelson, MD, president of the AMA, a sponsor of the national event. "Tragically, without insurance, many Americans do not seek medical care until their health problem reaches crisis proportions."
The analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 41% of the uninsured don't have access to a physician when they need one. Another RWJ report found that 45% of the uninsured have one or more chronic conditions.
"I'm a physician, not an economist, but I know that rising health care costs are the problem," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president of the foundation, which is the lead sponsor of Cover the Uninsured Week, which ran May 1-8.
Also speaking at the launch, Sen. Ron Wyden (D, Ore.) called for his colleagues to put aside partisan differences to solve this and other problems with the health care system. "The uninsured serve as the canary in the health care coal mine. They give a real indication of what the challenges are facing the system and what kind of work we need to do," he said.
He and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) worked together last year to pass legislation designed to create a public forum for discussing health system reform and to bring ideas produced by that effort before Congress.
RWJ released results from a public poll in which 73% of respondents said that they are concerned about losing their health care coverage and that health care costs rank among voters' top priorities for Congress and the White House to address.
"Poll after poll shows that the American people want our leaders to make affordable and stable health coverage for all Americans a top priority," Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey said.
Of the 45 million Americans with out health insurance, more than 20 million are working adults, the analysis released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed.
That finding "is particularly troubling, as much of the insurance market in this country is employment-based," said John C. Nelson, MD, president of the AMA, a sponsor of the national event. "Tragically, without insurance, many Americans do not seek medical care until their health problem reaches crisis proportions."
The analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 41% of the uninsured don't have access to a physician when they need one. Another RWJ report found that 45% of the uninsured have one or more chronic conditions.
"I'm a physician, not an economist, but I know that rising health care costs are the problem," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president of the foundation, which is the lead sponsor of Cover the Uninsured Week, which ran May 1-8.
Also speaking at the launch, Sen. Ron Wyden (D, Ore.) called for his colleagues to put aside partisan differences to solve this and other problems with the health care system. "The uninsured serve as the canary in the health care coal mine. They give a real indication of what the challenges are facing the system and what kind of work we need to do," he said.
He and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) worked together last year to pass legislation designed to create a public forum for discussing health system reform and to bring ideas produced by that effort before Congress.
RWJ released results from a public poll in which 73% of respondents said that they are concerned about losing their health care coverage and that health care costs rank among voters' top priorities for Congress and the White House to address.
"Poll after poll shows that the American people want our leaders to make affordable and stable health coverage for all Americans a top priority," Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey said.
Thursday, May 5, 2005
House Members Criticize Health Insurance Budget
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Criticized by Republicans, Gov. Mike Easley and advocates for the poor, the nearly $17 billion budget passed Thursday by the Senate is already taking shots from the House.
House budget writers, who now must craft a competing spending bill, say they are particularly worried about Medicaid reductions that could leave thousands without health insurance.
"I'm gravely concerned about a lot of things in the Senate budget," said Rep. Wilma Sherrill, R-Buncombe, one of the chief House budget writers. "The overriding concern is helping those that need the help. I think we've got a long time ahead of us."
House members are also upset with the Senate's proposed cuts to courts that help drug offenders and families, language that could rupture the fragile coalition that passed a lottery in the House, and changes to the state's taxes they deem unfair to low- and middle-income residents.
A two-year budget is supposed to be on Easley's desk for his signature before July 1, but some worry the disputes will force negotiations deep into the summer.
Senate Democrats, who pushed their budget through the chamber with a 28-20 party-line vote Thursday, responded that their spending plan is much better than critics are making it out to be.
The budget eliminated a potential $1.3 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, boosts education spending, reduces the growth of health care costs and makes North Carolina more attractive to businesses on taxation matters compared with other Southeastern states, they said.
"We still need jobs in North Carolina," said Sen. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford, a Senate budget writer. "You can't pay taxes and buy products unless you have a job."
The Senate Democrats proposed more than $750 million in new or extended taxes -- including making permanent a half-cent sales tax increase -- as well as another $180 million in higher fees. But those increases, along with the proposal to lower corporate and individual income tax rates, left many House Democrats arguing that lower and middle-income residents are getting the short end of the stick.
"The problem with the revenue package is that it provides tax relief to those who need it least," said Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, a co-chairman of the House Finance Committee. "If anybody needs tax relief, it's the 8 million North Carolinians who pay sales tax."
In their budget, Senate Democrats reduced the growth of Medicaid, the government health program for low-income children, elderly and the disabled, by $127 million more than Easley recommended in his spending proposal.
"Many of the complaints that have been filed against us by business and industry and other folks is that we're too generous in Medicaid, and it's been very, very costly," said Senate leader Marc Basnight, D-Dare.
Hospital rates were frozen and personal care services for stay-at-home invalids were made more restrictive, and North Carolina's reimbursement rate for doctors was dropped to 90 percent. While that's still the highest in the Southeast, Rep. Edd Nye, D-Bladen, said the change could reduce the rolls of doctors who will see low-income residents.
"That cut would be devastating because people ... have been trying to encourage them to see Medicaid patients for years," Nye said.
The changes would shift 57,000 people with dual-eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare to Medicare-only coverage, while an estimated 8,000 others will lose their coverage entirely because they make too much money, saving $53 million.
They'll have to incur $3,000 in medical expenses over a six-month period in order to qualify for Medicaid again, said Mark Benton, the interim director of the state Division of Medical Assistance.
"It's going to be difficult for them," Benton said. The Senate budget sets aside $5 million to help fill the prescriptions drug and other medical needs of those who lose coverage.
Several House members also said they don't like the budget provisions that could alter a stand-alone lottery bill that narrowly passed the House last month, Luebke said.
Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, said the Senate budget takes out two things that had persuaded her to vote for a lottery -- an advertising ban and using profits for need-based college scholarships.
The Senate's lottery committee scheduled a meeting for next Wednesday to take up the issue. Any alternative to the House's lottery format could break the fragile coalition that passed it 61-59.
"It's dead in the water if it stays in the budget," Sherrill said.
House budget writers, who now must craft a competing spending bill, say they are particularly worried about Medicaid reductions that could leave thousands without health insurance.
"I'm gravely concerned about a lot of things in the Senate budget," said Rep. Wilma Sherrill, R-Buncombe, one of the chief House budget writers. "The overriding concern is helping those that need the help. I think we've got a long time ahead of us."
House members are also upset with the Senate's proposed cuts to courts that help drug offenders and families, language that could rupture the fragile coalition that passed a lottery in the House, and changes to the state's taxes they deem unfair to low- and middle-income residents.
A two-year budget is supposed to be on Easley's desk for his signature before July 1, but some worry the disputes will force negotiations deep into the summer.
Senate Democrats, who pushed their budget through the chamber with a 28-20 party-line vote Thursday, responded that their spending plan is much better than critics are making it out to be.
The budget eliminated a potential $1.3 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, boosts education spending, reduces the growth of health care costs and makes North Carolina more attractive to businesses on taxation matters compared with other Southeastern states, they said.
"We still need jobs in North Carolina," said Sen. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford, a Senate budget writer. "You can't pay taxes and buy products unless you have a job."
The Senate Democrats proposed more than $750 million in new or extended taxes -- including making permanent a half-cent sales tax increase -- as well as another $180 million in higher fees. But those increases, along with the proposal to lower corporate and individual income tax rates, left many House Democrats arguing that lower and middle-income residents are getting the short end of the stick.
"The problem with the revenue package is that it provides tax relief to those who need it least," said Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, a co-chairman of the House Finance Committee. "If anybody needs tax relief, it's the 8 million North Carolinians who pay sales tax."
In their budget, Senate Democrats reduced the growth of Medicaid, the government health program for low-income children, elderly and the disabled, by $127 million more than Easley recommended in his spending proposal.
"Many of the complaints that have been filed against us by business and industry and other folks is that we're too generous in Medicaid, and it's been very, very costly," said Senate leader Marc Basnight, D-Dare.
Hospital rates were frozen and personal care services for stay-at-home invalids were made more restrictive, and North Carolina's reimbursement rate for doctors was dropped to 90 percent. While that's still the highest in the Southeast, Rep. Edd Nye, D-Bladen, said the change could reduce the rolls of doctors who will see low-income residents.
"That cut would be devastating because people ... have been trying to encourage them to see Medicaid patients for years," Nye said.
The changes would shift 57,000 people with dual-eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare to Medicare-only coverage, while an estimated 8,000 others will lose their coverage entirely because they make too much money, saving $53 million.
They'll have to incur $3,000 in medical expenses over a six-month period in order to qualify for Medicaid again, said Mark Benton, the interim director of the state Division of Medical Assistance.
"It's going to be difficult for them," Benton said. The Senate budget sets aside $5 million to help fill the prescriptions drug and other medical needs of those who lose coverage.
Several House members also said they don't like the budget provisions that could alter a stand-alone lottery bill that narrowly passed the House last month, Luebke said.
Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, said the Senate budget takes out two things that had persuaded her to vote for a lottery -- an advertising ban and using profits for need-based college scholarships.
The Senate's lottery committee scheduled a meeting for next Wednesday to take up the issue. Any alternative to the House's lottery format could break the fragile coalition that passed it 61-59.
"It's dead in the water if it stays in the budget," Sherrill said.
Auto Insurance for High Net Worth Individuals in Texas
May 4, 2005
AIG Private Client Group, a division of the personal lines property and casualty insurance subsidiaries of American International Group Inc. (AIG), has launched its enhanced AIG Private Client Group Auto Program in Texas.
The offering is designed specifically for high net worth individuals who own high-value vehicles and/or collector cars. Unlike other Texas automobile insurance programs, the AIG Private Client Group policy allows for protection against first-party diminution of value claims on covered or newly acquired automobiles.
An additional feature unique to AIG Private Client Group is its treatment of collector cars. Collector cars are typically maintained for use in car club activities, exhibitions, parades or private collections, and are driven with less frequency than everyday vehicles. However, many owners of these vehicles obtain mass-market auto insurance or deal with different carriers for each type of car. With the AIG Private Client Group Auto Program, collectors can purchase insurance that takes limited usage into account during the underwriting process and allows for a virtually unlimited number of collector and regular-use vehicles to be covered on one policy.
The AIG Private Client Group Auto Program also includes:
? Agreed value provisions: coverage amount determined at the onset of a policy is locked-in for the entire term;
? Coverage for specialty vehicles, including motorcycles;
? Freedom to choose a repair facility if damage occurs;
? A single bill for all auto insurance needs;
? Loss of Use at $5,000, including no per diem limit on rental reimbursement;
? Loss of Use limit is increased to $5,000 per occurrence; and
? Deductible waived in the event of a Total Loss.
Currently approved in over 20 states, the AIG Private Client Group Auto Program is part of a suite of insurance products and services developed exclusively for high net worth individuals and families.
"Our product innovation is dictated by the needs of our policyholders," said Ross Buchmueller, president, AIG Private Client Group. "We are pleased that we can provide meaningful automobile coverage solutions for high net worth Texans."
For more information on the AIG Private Client Group Auto Program in Texas, contact Andrea Bezark at (212) 770-8011 or visit www.aigpcg.com.
AIG Private Client Group, a division of the personal lines property and casualty insurance subsidiaries of American International Group Inc. (AIG), has launched its enhanced AIG Private Client Group Auto Program in Texas.
The offering is designed specifically for high net worth individuals who own high-value vehicles and/or collector cars. Unlike other Texas automobile insurance programs, the AIG Private Client Group policy allows for protection against first-party diminution of value claims on covered or newly acquired automobiles.
An additional feature unique to AIG Private Client Group is its treatment of collector cars. Collector cars are typically maintained for use in car club activities, exhibitions, parades or private collections, and are driven with less frequency than everyday vehicles. However, many owners of these vehicles obtain mass-market auto insurance or deal with different carriers for each type of car. With the AIG Private Client Group Auto Program, collectors can purchase insurance that takes limited usage into account during the underwriting process and allows for a virtually unlimited number of collector and regular-use vehicles to be covered on one policy.
The AIG Private Client Group Auto Program also includes:
? Agreed value provisions: coverage amount determined at the onset of a policy is locked-in for the entire term;
? Coverage for specialty vehicles, including motorcycles;
? Freedom to choose a repair facility if damage occurs;
? A single bill for all auto insurance needs;
? Loss of Use at $5,000, including no per diem limit on rental reimbursement;
? Loss of Use limit is increased to $5,000 per occurrence; and
? Deductible waived in the event of a Total Loss.
Currently approved in over 20 states, the AIG Private Client Group Auto Program is part of a suite of insurance products and services developed exclusively for high net worth individuals and families.
"Our product innovation is dictated by the needs of our policyholders," said Ross Buchmueller, president, AIG Private Client Group. "We are pleased that we can provide meaningful automobile coverage solutions for high net worth Texans."
For more information on the AIG Private Client Group Auto Program in Texas, contact Andrea Bezark at (212) 770-8011 or visit www.aigpcg.com.
Low-cost health insurance vital
Thursday, May 05, 2005
By Sandra Barbier
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau
A 10-parish survey by the Metro Chamber Alliance showed that 79 percent of 200 small-business owners questioned have never offered health insurance to their employees, and 19 percent of 200 uninsured residents have never seen a doctor on a regular basis.
Alliance officials said Tuesday that the results underscored a need to create a low-cost health insurance alternative for small and medium-size member businesses that do not have employee health insurance.
The lack of health coverage affects "our economy, our health, and . . . social issues," said Erness Wright-Irvin, the area field coordinator for Cover the Uninsured Week, a nationwide drive to address the plight of the 45 million Americans without health insurance. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said Louisiana has the second-highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, she said.
As part of Cover the Uninsured Week, which runs through Sunday, a health fair will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Forest Plaza, 5700 Read Blvd., where a variety of free health screenings will be available. Representatives of major drug manufacturers will be at the fair to register those eligible for discounted medicines, Wright-Irvin said. Drug companies are targeting people who meet their low-income guidelines, a group that includes 612,000 Louisianians, she said.
Among the health-care alternatives being investigated by the Alliance is a "three-share" plan that would reduce medical care costs for participants, said Sandra Gunner, chief executive officer of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.
The Alliance is applying for a Healthy Communities Access Grant through the Louisiana Public Health Institute that would help pay a $120 monthly premium for employees in the program. With the grant, employers and employees each pay a third of the cost, or about $40 each.
The Alliance is looking at other options as well, and it wants to be a clearinghouse on insurance information for employers and workers, especially so it can help employees manage their individual health programs, Gunner said.
At a news conference Tuesday, St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce Chairman E.J. Laviolette Jr. said the Alliance is working to galvanize support for an alternative health-care program. Among the biggest obstacles, he said, is educating employees to appreciate the value of insurance after they have lived for so long without it.
Among the consequences are employees who wait too long before getting medical care and end up with more serious conditions. They typically go to a hospital emergency room, where the cost is several times greater than the cost of a doctor visit, he said.
Laviolette said the Alliance survey indicated that most small-business owners and employees would be willing to pay insurance premiums if they were "reasonable and affordable."
The Metro Chamber Alliance comprises chambers of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Washington, Tangipahoa and St. James parishes.
By Sandra Barbier
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau
A 10-parish survey by the Metro Chamber Alliance showed that 79 percent of 200 small-business owners questioned have never offered health insurance to their employees, and 19 percent of 200 uninsured residents have never seen a doctor on a regular basis.
Alliance officials said Tuesday that the results underscored a need to create a low-cost health insurance alternative for small and medium-size member businesses that do not have employee health insurance.
The lack of health coverage affects "our economy, our health, and . . . social issues," said Erness Wright-Irvin, the area field coordinator for Cover the Uninsured Week, a nationwide drive to address the plight of the 45 million Americans without health insurance. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said Louisiana has the second-highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, she said.
As part of Cover the Uninsured Week, which runs through Sunday, a health fair will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Forest Plaza, 5700 Read Blvd., where a variety of free health screenings will be available. Representatives of major drug manufacturers will be at the fair to register those eligible for discounted medicines, Wright-Irvin said. Drug companies are targeting people who meet their low-income guidelines, a group that includes 612,000 Louisianians, she said.
Among the health-care alternatives being investigated by the Alliance is a "three-share" plan that would reduce medical care costs for participants, said Sandra Gunner, chief executive officer of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.
The Alliance is applying for a Healthy Communities Access Grant through the Louisiana Public Health Institute that would help pay a $120 monthly premium for employees in the program. With the grant, employers and employees each pay a third of the cost, or about $40 each.
The Alliance is looking at other options as well, and it wants to be a clearinghouse on insurance information for employers and workers, especially so it can help employees manage their individual health programs, Gunner said.
At a news conference Tuesday, St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce Chairman E.J. Laviolette Jr. said the Alliance is working to galvanize support for an alternative health-care program. Among the biggest obstacles, he said, is educating employees to appreciate the value of insurance after they have lived for so long without it.
Among the consequences are employees who wait too long before getting medical care and end up with more serious conditions. They typically go to a hospital emergency room, where the cost is several times greater than the cost of a doctor visit, he said.
Laviolette said the Alliance survey indicated that most small-business owners and employees would be willing to pay insurance premiums if they were "reasonable and affordable."
The Metro Chamber Alliance comprises chambers of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Washington, Tangipahoa and St. James parishes.
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