BuckeyeBlog

Yesterday Rep. Jim Raussen announced health care legislation that he says will help cut the number of uninsured in the state. The legislation was the result of statewide hearings last year where he and other legislators heard from a variety of individuals, businesses, and organizations about how to reform the state’s health care. The key parts of the plan are:

*Extending family coverage eligibility for children to age 29 from age 22.
*Work to re-insure claims for individuals who fit into high-risk categories.
*Providing tax credits, $2,500 for an individual and $4,000 per family, to households not on Medicaid but below the federal poverty level – $21,200 for a family of four – to purchase insurance.
*Mandating increases in nursing staff salaries at state colleges and universities and placing a two-year moratorium on departmental cuts.
*Requiring the Ohio Department of Education to tighten rules on nutrition and pricing for K-12 schools and remove trans-fat ingredients from meal offerings.
*Creating a discount program through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for employers that incorporate physician-directed wellness plans.
*Requiring hospitals to disclose tax liability as compared to charitable care online.

Overall, the bill looks to have some OK ideas. While I’m not thrilled with the state re-insuring private companies to provide coverage for individuals, there does seem to be a need for this type of program. Some people with chronic conditions cannot receive private coverage and unless the state is to enroll them in Medicaid (a bad option, in my mind), re-insurance may be the best way to go. Also, tax credits to help purchase insurance makes sense. Letting people keep their own money to buy insurance is better than the state providing it for them.

I am troubled, though, by the notion that the state should mandate that a parent’s insurance must continue to insure “children” up to 29 years of age. Yes, many young poeple don’t have health insurance. Many young people, however, don’t really need health insurance. I know it’s contrary to the popular notion that no one should be without insurance, but as someone who voluntarily went without insurance for three years in my early twenties, I know that sometimes it is a rational decision to forgo insurance. Instead of new mandates that drive up insurance, the General Assembly should consider repealing mandates that prevent insurers from offering packages that appeal to young people. Giving freedom to companies so they can innovate and meet the demands of consumers (as opposed to the demands of legislators) is the way health care reform should be heading.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 6:14 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.