Hello, and welcome to this installment of the Weekly Health Insurance News Roundup. Rather than have one specific theme this time, we’ll take a look at several different topics that have cropped up recently. The first we’ll look at is a study by the Centers for Disease Control in which they said that the Southwest portion of the United States — specifically Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma — have the highest rates of uninsured residents in the nation. The study notes that nearly thirty percent of non-elderly adults and eighteen percent of children are uninsured across these states, a huge gap between these and other parts of the country such as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
The next article is from a column that appears in The Star Press entitled, “Health care is complex – and the fix will be too.” In this article, author Michael Hicks takes a look at our rising demand for health care services, our “bifurcated” system of health care payment — in which those that don’t have insurance go to the wrong place (emergency rooms) at the wrong time (when they’re ill) rather than paying for preventative care — that makes the overall system more costly, and the high regulation and monopolization of the health care system. He then goes onto give some solutions to the current health care crisis, including letting either customers, hospitals or the government choose how we receive our health care, as well as possibly making everyone purchase health insurance. These are interesting ideas, but like the article says, they’d be as complicated as the system they’re trying to fix.
A few weeks ago, we discussed how Massachusetts’ mandated health care system. This week, in an article entitled “Insurance mandates unhealthy for business,” in The Boston Herald, authors Richard Lord and Bill Vernon discuss how a new possible mandate from the state government could raise health insurance costs even more for businesses. According to the article, businesses pay the “lion’s share” of health insurance costs for state residents, and any increase would hurt businesses that already paying quite a lot for health insurance in the state. The article states that small business would be hurt most by any increase in the amount of money they put out for health insurance. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t provide any solutions to the issue. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any solutions, they just might be too far off in the distance for anyone to see clearly.
In the next article, The Philadelphia Enquirer reports that New Jersey is looking to become one of the first states in the nation providing universal health care since lawmakers approved a bill expanding health insurance coverage for low-income families. Under the revised FamilyCare bill, not only would children be required to have health insurance, but parents in low-income households as well. The program could cost an estimated nine billion dollars, but is seen as “the only way” low income families would have access to any kind of health insurance. The new system would undergo several phases, but is predicted to cost taxpayers less in the long run than they are currently paying for uninsured families to receive health care. While that remains to be seen, it looks like a step in the right direction.
On a sadder note, The Wall Street Journal has an article entitled, “More Americans Delay Health Care,” in which author Sarah Rubenstein discusses the increasing number of people who delay getting regular or preventative health care due to costs and lack of insurance. More than two-thirds of respondents to the survey cited in the article states the increasing costs of health care as the reason they delayed care. The biggest rate increase in those delaying care, however, came from those who actually already had health insurance. When combined with the rising prices of food, energy and so on, it’s not surprising that people are cutting costs where they can, it’s just sad that people see health care as one of those places where costs can be cut. The article cites examples of individuals who put off care to save money, including one man who put off surgery on his arthritic hip for two years so he could have coverage under Medicare. This is a very sad state of affairs, to be sure.
This concludes this issue of the Weekly Health Insurance Roundup. More and more people are writing about our health care system and how broken it is. I personally don’t think it’s as bad as we’re being told, but it’s beyond the shadow of a doubt that a lot of work and reform lie ahead of us. I hope that we’ll get closer and closer to the reforms we need to make better health care and easier access to affordable health insurance a reality. Have a great day.
Other Health Insurance News Options:
Return to Articles Page.
A Wide Range of Health Insurance Topics, Including the Uninsured, Universal Health Care, and More
Hello, and welcome to this installment of the Weekly Health Insurance News Roundup. Rather than have one specific theme this time, we’ll take a look at several different topics that have cropped up recently. The first we’ll look at is a study by the Centers for Disease Control in which they said that the Southwest portion of the United States — specifically Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma — have the highest rates of uninsured residents in the nation. The study notes that nearly thirty percent of non-elderly adults and eighteen percent of children are uninsured across these states, a huge gap between these and other parts of the country such as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
The next article is from a column that appears in The Star Press entitled, “Health care is complex – and the fix will be too.” In this article, author Michael Hicks takes a look at our rising demand for health care services, our “bifurcated” system of health care payment — in which those that don’t have insurance go to the wrong place (emergency rooms) at the wrong time (when they’re ill) rather than paying for preventative care — that makes the overall system more costly, and the high regulation and monopolization of the health care system. He then goes onto give some solutions to the current health care crisis, including letting either customers, hospitals or the government choose how we receive our health care, as well as possibly making everyone purchase health insurance. These are interesting ideas, but like the article says, they’d be as complicated as the system they’re trying to fix.
A few weeks ago, we discussed how Massachusetts’ mandated health care system. This week, in an article entitled “Insurance mandates unhealthy for business,” in The Boston Herald, authors Richard Lord and Bill Vernon discuss how a new possible mandate from the state government could raise health insurance costs even more for businesses. According to the article, businesses pay the “lion’s share” of health insurance costs for state residents, and any increase would hurt businesses that already paying quite a lot for health insurance in the state. The article states that small business would be hurt most by any increase in the amount of money they put out for health insurance. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t provide any solutions to the issue. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any solutions, they just might be too far off in the distance for anyone to see clearly.
In the next article, The Philadelphia Enquirer reports that New Jersey is looking to become one of the first states in the nation providing universal health care since lawmakers approved a bill expanding health insurance coverage for low-income families. Under the revised FamilyCare bill, not only would children be required to have health insurance, but parents in low-income households as well. The program could cost an estimated nine billion dollars, but is seen as “the only way” low income families would have access to any kind of health insurance. The new system would undergo several phases, but is predicted to cost taxpayers less in the long run than they are currently paying for uninsured families to receive health care. While that remains to be seen, it looks like a step in the right direction.
On a sadder note, The Wall Street Journal has an article entitled, “More Americans Delay Health Care,” in which author Sarah Rubenstein discusses the increasing number of people who delay getting regular or preventative health care due to costs and lack of insurance. More than two-thirds of respondents to the survey cited in the article states the increasing costs of health care as the reason they delayed care. The biggest rate increase in those delaying care, however, came from those who actually already had health insurance. When combined with the rising prices of food, energy and so on, it’s not surprising that people are cutting costs where they can, it’s just sad that people see health care as one of those places where costs can be cut. The article cites examples of individuals who put off care to save money, including one man who put off surgery on his arthritic hip for two years so he could have coverage under Medicare. This is a very sad state of affairs, to be sure.
This concludes this issue of the Weekly Health Insurance Roundup. More and more people are writing about our health care system and how broken it is. I personally don’t think it’s as bad as we’re being told, but it’s beyond the shadow of a doubt that a lot of work and reform lie ahead of us. I hope that we’ll get closer and closer to the reforms we need to make better health care and easier access to affordable health insurance a reality. Have a great day.
Other Health Insurance News Options:
Return to Articles Page.