Monday, July 17, 2006
Motorcycle helmets won't save Medicaid
[Dave Ranney, "Panel to promote Kansans’ well-being," The Lawrence Journal-World, 16 July 2006.]
The Kansas Health Policy Authority recently announced a shift in focus away from health care spending and toward personal responsibility:
If the Kansas Health Policy Authority has its way — and there’s a fair chance it will — you’ll soon be hearing more about staying healthy, less about health care.
“That is our mandate,” said Marcia Nielsen, the authority’s interim executive director.
The change marks a huge, though little publicized, shift in the state’s debate over how to care for the uninsured while keeping a lid on health care costs.
The possibilities include:
• Lower insurance premiums for state employees who don’t smoke, who are not overweight and who undergo health assessments.
• Co-pays for Medicaid recipients who smoke or are overweight.
• Advertising campaigns aimed at promoting good health.
• Requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Such suggestions are not without merit, but merely scratch the surface when it comes to the fundamental overhaul the Kansas Medicaid program requires if it is to remain financially viable and provide quality care to its beneficiaries. While emphasizing personal responsibility is an important step, policymakers need to move beyond posting billboards reminding us to take our vitamins if real change is to take place in an otherwise broken program.
[Michael Bond, "Reforming Medicaid in Kansas: A Market-Based Approach," The Flint Hills Center, 2 February 2006.
Matthew Hisrich, "A Backgrounder on Kansas Medicaid," The Flint Hills Center, 19 July 2004.]
The Kansas Health Policy Authority recently announced a shift in focus away from health care spending and toward personal responsibility:
If the Kansas Health Policy Authority has its way — and there’s a fair chance it will — you’ll soon be hearing more about staying healthy, less about health care.
“That is our mandate,” said Marcia Nielsen, the authority’s interim executive director.
The change marks a huge, though little publicized, shift in the state’s debate over how to care for the uninsured while keeping a lid on health care costs.
The possibilities include:
• Lower insurance premiums for state employees who don’t smoke, who are not overweight and who undergo health assessments.
• Co-pays for Medicaid recipients who smoke or are overweight.
• Advertising campaigns aimed at promoting good health.
• Requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Such suggestions are not without merit, but merely scratch the surface when it comes to the fundamental overhaul the Kansas Medicaid program requires if it is to remain financially viable and provide quality care to its beneficiaries. While emphasizing personal responsibility is an important step, policymakers need to move beyond posting billboards reminding us to take our vitamins if real change is to take place in an otherwise broken program.
[Michael Bond, "Reforming Medicaid in Kansas: A Market-Based Approach," The Flint Hills Center, 2 February 2006.
Matthew Hisrich, "A Backgrounder on Kansas Medicaid," The Flint Hills Center, 19 July 2004.]
Comments:
Post a Comment
