Since last post…
Posted by Sel Fillerup on November 20, 2008
Well, there has been a lot happen since my last post a year ago. New President elect, etc.
And in the world of healthcare reform there is also plenty of promising news.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle will be In Pres. Obama’s Cabinet as head of Health and Human Services. Sen. Daschle brings a passion for pragmatic reform to his new job.
And on a personal note, my new book “Healthcare Reform: Foundation and Framework” is soon to be published. A few last minute edits and it should go to press. I have had some very favorable feedback from readers of the manuscript. These will appear on my webpage www.chroniccrisis.com
I want to make a note here regarding AHIP’s newest statement on universal healthcare.
AHIP’s proposal that they will accept the conditions of Guaranteed Issue (meaning that no one will be denied health insurance based on age, health status, geography, etc.) is only a shallow concession unless they also accept the conditions of Community Rating.
(Community Rating means that everyone gets the insurance at the same price.)
What happens, and AHIP knows this, is that when they operate under conditions of Guaranteed Issue they have to accept everyone who needs medical care, but they can still charge high, even ridulously high, premiums to people with pre-existing medical conditions. They can, in fact, and often do, price sick people right out of the market. Without Community Ratings insurers can still charge whatever they want.
AHIP has hardly made a concession. They still want the entire nation to buy private health insurance at a price set by the health insurance industry.
Here is the position of ThePolicy Center. www.ThePolicyCenter.org.
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We recommend five policies:
1. that people be given a Choice between a publicly sponsored plan and private coverage.
2. universal Mandatory enrollment, with default enrollment in the public plan and elective enrollment in a private plan
3. Community rating for all health insurance products
4. Guaranteed issue (that no one is left out of the healthcare system because of their age, income, health status or employment)
5. that both the public plan and all private insurers offer a Uniform minimum benefits package.
Unless all five of these policies are implemented, the AHIP proposal is only spin and will not protect the buyers of health insurance or lower costs.
