Friday, August 27, 2004
Insuring the uninsured
[Genaro C. Armas, "Ranks of Poor, Uninsured Rose in 2003," Associated Press, The Wichita Eagle, 26 August 2004.]
The Census Bureau just released new numbers on poverty and the uninsured, and the situation is not improving:
The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.
It was the third straight annual increase for both categories.
Clearly, Kansas policymakers need to focus on strengthening the economy and working towards accessible coverage for all. What are some steps that can be taken? The Galen Institute's Grace Marie Turner offers a few suggestions:
We have been saying for years that government incentive policies for health insurance must be modernized to keep pace with a changing economy. With a highly mobile workforce, tying health insurance to the workplace is out of step with the economy. These new numbers prove it. There is no reason for people to lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs, but that’s just what is happening.
And while private insurance declined, the new Census Bureau data show that the number of people covered by government programs rose, from 25.7 percent to 26.6 percent, largely as a result of the growth of Medicare and Medicaid.
The bottom line: Government programs expanded, and private insurance shrank.
The number of uninsured is slowly going to get worse without policy changes. Adding 45 million people to government program rolls just isn’t an option.
Refundable tax credits for the uninsured, deductibility of individually-purchased health insurance, and new purchasing options are crucial to begin to give more people more options to buy affordable health insurance – insurance they can take with them even if they lose their jobs.
[Matthew Hisrich, "State mandates reduce insurance affordability," The Flint Hills Center, May 2004.
Matthew Hisrich, "Greatest increase in uninsured found among wealthy," The Flint Hills Center, May 2004.
Richard Teske, "How the Kansas Business Health Partnership Can Learn From Other Health Purchasing Cooperatives (HPC’s)," The Flint Hills Center, October 2000.]
[Genaro C. Armas, "Ranks of Poor, Uninsured Rose in 2003," Associated Press, The Wichita Eagle, 26 August 2004.]
The Census Bureau just released new numbers on poverty and the uninsured, and the situation is not improving:
The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.
It was the third straight annual increase for both categories.
Clearly, Kansas policymakers need to focus on strengthening the economy and working towards accessible coverage for all. What are some steps that can be taken? The Galen Institute's Grace Marie Turner offers a few suggestions:
We have been saying for years that government incentive policies for health insurance must be modernized to keep pace with a changing economy. With a highly mobile workforce, tying health insurance to the workplace is out of step with the economy. These new numbers prove it. There is no reason for people to lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs, but that’s just what is happening.
And while private insurance declined, the new Census Bureau data show that the number of people covered by government programs rose, from 25.7 percent to 26.6 percent, largely as a result of the growth of Medicare and Medicaid.
The bottom line: Government programs expanded, and private insurance shrank.
The number of uninsured is slowly going to get worse without policy changes. Adding 45 million people to government program rolls just isn’t an option.
Refundable tax credits for the uninsured, deductibility of individually-purchased health insurance, and new purchasing options are crucial to begin to give more people more options to buy affordable health insurance – insurance they can take with them even if they lose their jobs.
[Matthew Hisrich, "State mandates reduce insurance affordability," The Flint Hills Center, May 2004.
Matthew Hisrich, "Greatest increase in uninsured found among wealthy," The Flint Hills Center, May 2004.
Richard Teske, "How the Kansas Business Health Partnership Can Learn From Other Health Purchasing Cooperatives (HPC’s)," The Flint Hills Center, October 2000.]
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