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It's been all over the news - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's year-long struggle to provide universal health insurance to all state citizens ended this week when his bill failed to pass the state senate. Kaiser's Daily Health Policy Report goes on to say that the defeat of the $14.9 billion proposal to overhaul California's health care system "underscores a difficulty states face in achieving universal insurance coverage." In order to buy his health insurance plan, Schwarzenegger had suggested more than $18 million in cuts to everything from parks to schools to Medicare. That, coupled with a fast growing state deficit in the billions, made it impossible for universal health care to find acceptance in California. It simply cost too much. Paul Ginsburg, president of the not-for-profit Center for Studying Health System Change, said, "With the economy souring, it became clear that this was way beyond California's fiscal capacity to pull off." He added, "Some of the potential policies to address costs aren't really available to states." For example, only the federal government can make changes to taxes assessed on health insurance or to the way physicians are paid. This goes to support the argument that health insurance should be controlled by the federal government, a debate that has seen a great deal of its own publicity as primary elections heat up. In regards to California, Schwarzenegger refuses to concede defeat, instead promising that he will continue to work towards an overhaul of California's health care system. Hopefully, somewhere between his promises and those of presidential hopefuls, a solution will soon present itself.
Like it says at the New York Times, it's been a rough January for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, particularly in terms of his California health insurance plan. Since the beginning of the year, the governor has had to confront a $14.5 billion budget deficit, declare a fiscal state of emergency, and announce across-the-board cuts for almost every state agency, including schools, parks, and prisons. And now, his universal California health insurance plan is under attack. The Senate health committee is expected to vote against Schwarzenegger's potentially legacy-defining bill on health care, which would effectively kill the bill before it could even make it to the ballot. Some argue that the plan, which would extend coverage to millions of uninsured Californians, expects too much from small businesses. Others argue that California can't afford it, already burdened as it is with a deficit of monumental proportions. Regardless, the debate over California health insurance will face a defining moment next week, when we will see whether or not a universal health care system will really win legislative approval, and make it to the ballot box at all.
Blue Cross, the health insurance mega-giant, has decided not to wait for slow moving legislation or a new presidential hopeful to make health care more effective and available. Instead, the agency has presented its own proposal this week to reduce the number of Americans without medical coverage. As it's reported by Reuters, Blue Cross' plan would combine tax credits to encourage people to buy coverage with ideas to improve the quality of health care, and is intended as a blueprint for U.S. policymakers. The proposal would extend coverage to 30 to 35 million of the 47 million people who don't have health insurance in America. And while its cost is an estimated $50 to $100 billion per year, the overall proposal would also yield other savings as uninsured people get coverage and cut down, for example, on hospital emergency room costs. Of course, we could all ask, who will benefit the most from a health insurance plan designed by a health insurance agency? But still, any attempt to boost coverage for the millions who must live without adequate health care is a good idea. And who would know better how to manage medical coverage than an insurance giant like Blue Cross? It will be interesting to see how their plan compares to that promoted by legislation, and how it will stack up financially when it comes time for someone to pay the insurance bills.
For once there was good news this week regarding health in America. ABC News reported the latest findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, revealing that death rates in the United States from heart disease and stroke are in the biggest and fastest decline ever recorded. And it's all thanks to prescription drugs, which are keeping us alive, but also keeping affordable health insurance out of our reach. Why? Well, Americans are surviving these diseases, but not because we are healthier. In fact, rates for obesity and type 2 diabetes are actually on the rise, and are showing up in Americans at ever younger ages. What's happening is that as we get sick, we have a host of prescription drugs to fall back on that will extend our lives. But this means that we're looking at gains achieved through the treatment of disease, not through its prevention. This is why health insurance rates are so high; we are unhealthy to begin with, we get sick, and then we need expensive medications to save us. The real way to save money, prevent disease, and lower health insurance costs is to focus on the prevention of disease in the first place. This is why it's so important to go to yearly checkups, and to make healthy lifestyle decisions that make health insurance a useful way to protect your health, but not the only way to do so.
According to a survey by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent foundation working toward health policy reform, about 68% of Americans say individuals should be required to have health insurance, with government help for those who cannot afford it. Reported at Reuters, the study proves what we've said all along – the American people want medical coverage available for everyone, in some way or another. Presidential hopefuls have addressed the outcry in various ways, with Democratic candidates Clinton and Edwards wanting the law to require mandatory health insurance for everyone, and Obama leaning towards covering all children. Employers would play a large part in coverage. On the Republican side, none of the candidates would require that Americans find health insurance, though they do tend to favor tax initiatives that would make coverage easier to come by. In any case, it's clear that Americans are tired of the struggle for affordable medical coverage and ready for a change. Right now, the Internet poses the best and most competitive market for health insurance. Hopefully, that market will receive a big boost after election year is over.
We've always known that what you eat and how you live will affect your health, but just to make sure, researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council have decided to prove it. And along the way, they've also proved how individual choices are also impacting our medical insurance coverage. According to the article at US News and World Report, people who make four healthy lifestyle decisions "live an average of 14 years longer than people with none of those behaviors." What are these magical four decisions? Not smoking, physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption, and eating five servings of fruit or vegetables a day. Now, we've been told this before, mainly by every health professional in the country, but for the first time we've got a solid answer to look at: 14 years is a long time. And more, we can also now see how these lifestyle decisions impact medical insurance coverage. After all, if you aren't following the doctor's advice, and you're smoking, or sedentary, drink too much, or don't eat fruits or vegetables (or all of the above), how can you extend your lifespan? Answer: medical insurance coverage, or medical debt, probably both. These are the people that need to rely on life saving medications that cost a bundle. And, then there are the costs of dealing with preventable diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Instead of choosing healthy behaviors, we're too busy choosing expensive medical treatments, which cost us, and anyone else with or without insurance, a lot of money. This is why it's important to make healthy lifestyle decisions. Not just for the 14 healthy years you'll enjoy, and not just because it makes it easier to qualify for insurance in the first place, but also for the many dollars you'll save when you can avoid the financial disaster of medical debt.
As part of a policy directive announced in August 2007, the Bush administration has been reported as negotiating limits of states' abilities to expand SCHIP, minimizing the number of people eligible for Medicaid in the next year. And as more people will find themselves without medical coverage, this move will also highlight our need for more affordable health insurance. According to the report at Kaiser Daily Health, states must demonstrate that they have "enrolled at least 95% of children in the state below 200% of the federal poverty level" who are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP. The fear is that too many families would stop paying for medical coverage if they could instead qualify for government subsidized insurance. But with coverage costing some families almost 1/3 of their yearly income, the lack of affordable health insurance is creating a dangerous financial burden for families who struggle to pay the bills each month. Already there are millions of men, women and children who are under-insured. This is why affordable health insurance needs to be a top priority. Those who are under-insured are still at risk for medical debt brought on by a health crisis. When everyone can afford good coverage, issues like the one facing Medicaid won't have the same potential to bankrupt state and federal funding. In the mean time, those who do need a good health insurance plan that doesn't eat up their income should aim for a plan that covers yearly checkups, since studies prove that those checkups are the best way to prevent dangerous and preventable diseases.
An article posted this week at BusinessWeek addresses the new fines applicable for those who don't have Massachusetts health insurance as of January 2nd, 2008. According to the journal, anyone who doesn't have coverage is now liable for serious penalties of up to $912 for individuals and $1,824 for couples. "The fines are part of an increasingly aggressive approach written into the health care law designed to pressure Massachusetts residents into getting insurance." The fines are based on the idea that there are many uninsured people in Massachusetts who could afford to purchase medical coverage if they wanted to. The penalties apply only to adults deemed able to afford Massachusetts health insurance by the Health Insurance Connector Authority, which oversees the health care law. But how do they decide who can and can't afford coverage? It's complicated, and based on those who make more than the federal poverty level. But it's going to be difficult to find the line between affordable and financially burdensome medical coverage. However, at the same time those who do purchase Massachusetts health insurance will now be able to enjoy a tax break, and studies do prove that those who have even basic coverage, and who see their doctor for yearly checkups, can protect themselves against diseases that could otherwise lead straight to medical debt.
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