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.
Monday, May 9, 2005
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.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Auto-Owners Insurance Group
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2005--A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of A++ (Superior) of Auto-Owners Insurance Group (Auto-Owners). Additionally, A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) of Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company (Auto-Owners Life) (both of Lansing, MI). The rating outlook for all the ratings is stable.
The rating of Auto-Owners Insurance Group reflects its outstanding capitalization, favorable earnings trend and conservative operating philosophy. The group achieved strong operating results as a result of its well-established independent agency relationships, competitive expense structure, diversified product offerings and adherence to strict underwriting fundamentals. The rating also acknowledges Auto-Owners' strong market presence as one of the 20 largest property/casualty insurance organizations in the United States with more than $4.2 billion in net written premium as of year-end 2004.
The affirmation of Auto-Owners Life's rating is based on its continuing integral role as the life, health, and annuity marketing arm of higher-rated Auto-Owners, sustained net premiums growth, favorable statutory operating earnings and superior level of risk-adjusted capitalization.
The rating of Auto-Owners Insurance Group applies to the following five property/casualty members and is based on their consolidated financial results.
-- Auto-Owners Insurance Company
-- Home-Owners Insurance Company
-- Owners Insurance Company
-- Property-Owners Insurance Company
-- Southern-Owners Insurance Company
The rating of Auto-Owners Insurance Group reflects its outstanding capitalization, favorable earnings trend and conservative operating philosophy. The group achieved strong operating results as a result of its well-established independent agency relationships, competitive expense structure, diversified product offerings and adherence to strict underwriting fundamentals. The rating also acknowledges Auto-Owners' strong market presence as one of the 20 largest property/casualty insurance organizations in the United States with more than $4.2 billion in net written premium as of year-end 2004.
The affirmation of Auto-Owners Life's rating is based on its continuing integral role as the life, health, and annuity marketing arm of higher-rated Auto-Owners, sustained net premiums growth, favorable statutory operating earnings and superior level of risk-adjusted capitalization.
The rating of Auto-Owners Insurance Group applies to the following five property/casualty members and is based on their consolidated financial results.
-- Auto-Owners Insurance Company
-- Home-Owners Insurance Company
-- Owners Insurance Company
-- Property-Owners Insurance Company
-- Southern-Owners Insurance Company
health insurance for the uninsured
Brittin Themann inherited the family trade, working at her father's 22-year-old antique-auto shop.
But inheriting the family tradition of going without health insurance "simply wasn't an option," says Themann who watched her now-deceased mother nearly go bankrupt paying $75,000 in medical bills for cancer treatments.
So Themann shopped eHealthInsurance.com and found a policy she can "barely" afford, but can't afford to do without. "It's better to have something than nothing," she says.
Her conclusion was the prevailing message Tuesday at Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s daylong health summit, organized to explore solutions to Utah's growing number of uninsured.
The state Health Department puts the uninsured population at 10.2 percent, or 250,000 Utahns. Other reports suggest it's as high as 18 percent.
It is a middle-of-the-road ranking and rising more slowly than in other states, but too high, said Health Director David Sundwall. Based on ideas floated at the summit, Sundwall says he will submit "a menu of [health care reform] options" to the governor for use in his 2006 budget. The goal is to reduce the number of individuals in Utah without insurance by at least 50 percent by 2010.
Sundwall offered no specifics, except to say proposals for moving toward government-subsidized health care are politically unfeasible.
"I don't rule out going to a single-payer system [or universal coverage] one day. But that won't come until we try to get a handle on more conventional methods," Sundwall said.
Those who are critical of funding health care in the same way states pay for public schools say it would stifle innovation.
Robert Moffit, health policy director at The Heritage Foundation, argued the best way to reach the uninsured is to empower them as consumers. His plan entails awarding tax credits to people who purchase health insurance on their own.
The federal government gives unlimited tax relief to people who get insurance through their employers, allowing premiums to be deducted before taxes are calculated, he noted.
But "if you shop for insurance on your own, you get zero tax breaks," says Moffit, stressing that the tax policy favors higher-income workers, restricts consumer choice and fuels higher spending.
Consumers who arrange their own health care are less likely to have skipped doctors visits, which translate to missed diagnoses and more heroic and expensive medical interventions, reasons Moffit.
They also can maintain coverage through job changes. "If you lose your job or move, you don't lose your life or car insurance," he said. Moffit's plan hinges on the assumption that the uninsured are not what he describes as "a Charles Dickens class of suffering souls," but a population of mostly working adults who either drift in and out of health plans as they change jobs, or work for small businesses that don't offer health plans.
That's true for Utah, where two-thirds come from working families, like the Themanns. Brittin Themann and her husband, Seth, both work full time for small businesses that don't offer employer-based coverage.
For the policy they found on-line, the Themanns pay a $300 monthly premium and have a $2,500 deductible with no co-payments and fairly comprehensive coverage. The policy paid off this April when Themann prematurely delivered a baby boy who spent a week in intensive care.
Moffit acknowledges there is little states can do to change federal tax policy. And critics of his plan note it doesn't address the needs of the poorest of the working poor. Two-thirds of Utah's uninsured earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $18,850 for a family of four.
The Themanns point out that if their premiums continue to rise, as they have in the past year, they will be priced out.
"That's what is bad about individual policies. If you're in a group policy, the premium hikes are spread out and everyone shares the pain," says Brittin Themann.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control analyzed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Utah also has the second-highest rate of uninsured Latinos, at 54.7 percent.
To lower the cost for everyone, Moffit suggests reproducing the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan - which allows federal workers to pick coverage from a pool of competing health plans - at the state level.
State employees and Medicaid recipients could jump-start the pool, which would be expanded to include private employers. Such a pool would cut administrative costs.
The uninsured share another characteristic in that they're young and relatively healthy, Moffit says. "You want them in the pool because they will drive claims costs down."
But inheriting the family tradition of going without health insurance "simply wasn't an option," says Themann who watched her now-deceased mother nearly go bankrupt paying $75,000 in medical bills for cancer treatments.
So Themann shopped eHealthInsurance.com and found a policy she can "barely" afford, but can't afford to do without. "It's better to have something than nothing," she says.
Her conclusion was the prevailing message Tuesday at Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s daylong health summit, organized to explore solutions to Utah's growing number of uninsured.
The state Health Department puts the uninsured population at 10.2 percent, or 250,000 Utahns. Other reports suggest it's as high as 18 percent.
It is a middle-of-the-road ranking and rising more slowly than in other states, but too high, said Health Director David Sundwall. Based on ideas floated at the summit, Sundwall says he will submit "a menu of [health care reform] options" to the governor for use in his 2006 budget. The goal is to reduce the number of individuals in Utah without insurance by at least 50 percent by 2010.
Sundwall offered no specifics, except to say proposals for moving toward government-subsidized health care are politically unfeasible.
"I don't rule out going to a single-payer system [or universal coverage] one day. But that won't come until we try to get a handle on more conventional methods," Sundwall said.
Those who are critical of funding health care in the same way states pay for public schools say it would stifle innovation.
Robert Moffit, health policy director at The Heritage Foundation, argued the best way to reach the uninsured is to empower them as consumers. His plan entails awarding tax credits to people who purchase health insurance on their own.
The federal government gives unlimited tax relief to people who get insurance through their employers, allowing premiums to be deducted before taxes are calculated, he noted.
But "if you shop for insurance on your own, you get zero tax breaks," says Moffit, stressing that the tax policy favors higher-income workers, restricts consumer choice and fuels higher spending.
Consumers who arrange their own health care are less likely to have skipped doctors visits, which translate to missed diagnoses and more heroic and expensive medical interventions, reasons Moffit.
They also can maintain coverage through job changes. "If you lose your job or move, you don't lose your life or car insurance," he said. Moffit's plan hinges on the assumption that the uninsured are not what he describes as "a Charles Dickens class of suffering souls," but a population of mostly working adults who either drift in and out of health plans as they change jobs, or work for small businesses that don't offer health plans.
That's true for Utah, where two-thirds come from working families, like the Themanns. Brittin Themann and her husband, Seth, both work full time for small businesses that don't offer employer-based coverage.
For the policy they found on-line, the Themanns pay a $300 monthly premium and have a $2,500 deductible with no co-payments and fairly comprehensive coverage. The policy paid off this April when Themann prematurely delivered a baby boy who spent a week in intensive care.
Moffit acknowledges there is little states can do to change federal tax policy. And critics of his plan note it doesn't address the needs of the poorest of the working poor. Two-thirds of Utah's uninsured earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $18,850 for a family of four.
The Themanns point out that if their premiums continue to rise, as they have in the past year, they will be priced out.
"That's what is bad about individual policies. If you're in a group policy, the premium hikes are spread out and everyone shares the pain," says Brittin Themann.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control analyzed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Utah also has the second-highest rate of uninsured Latinos, at 54.7 percent.
To lower the cost for everyone, Moffit suggests reproducing the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan - which allows federal workers to pick coverage from a pool of competing health plans - at the state level.
State employees and Medicaid recipients could jump-start the pool, which would be expanded to include private employers. Such a pool would cut administrative costs.
The uninsured share another characteristic in that they're young and relatively healthy, Moffit says. "You want them in the pool because they will drive claims costs down."
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