Will a State Health Insurance Plan Work?January 2008
This week a federal panel of judges granted San Francisco the right to put in place a key part of its universal
health insurance plan, as legal arguments about their first-in-the-nation setup continue.
This decision allows the city to require businesses with more than 20 employees to pay a fee to help cover employees' health care costs; something city officials say will help about 20,000 people without insurance. Some employers, however, say this new and very popular medical health insurance plan places an undue burden on smaller businesses, many of which are already paying for employee benefits.
And this seems to be the story across the nation, where state officials struggle with business owners to establish a balance between
medical health insurance that is affordable for all citizens, and won't bankrupt the state, with one that won't crush small businesses who can't afford high health care premiums.
In Arizona, for example, the National Federation of Independent Business polled Arizona small business members asking if the state should require all employers to offer a health insurance plan. Ninety-five percent of the NFIB survey respondents opposed that idea. Two percent approved of the idea.
And in Minneapolis, small businesses owners and the working poor are both considered equally victimized by high medical health insurance premiums by most local newspapers.
Is there a solution? Some argue that only a nationwide health insurance plan will work, allowing state citizens to buy their insurance anywhere and therefore enjoy a more competitive market. Others say that some level of health care should be subsidized by the government completely, paid for by taxes in some form or another.
Detractors say that the government shouldn't be involved in our health care at all.
Facts on:
Medical Health Insurance
Did you know...
There are 47 million uninsured Americans, and many more who are under-insured?
|
But with 47 million uninsured, the costs of medical debt are filtering down to everyone, no matter where they live.
Hopefully, upcoming legislation will strike a balance that everyone can afford while simultaneously covering those who can't afford insurance, or who are under-insured. Until then, the most competitive market out there is the Internet, suggesting that anyone searching for an affordable health insurance plan should compare the rates of online companies for the best possible deal.
Current Topic:
Recent Topics:
Past Topics:
