This article talks about the advantages that a Universal Coverage plan would have vs. the current remedies being proposed.
"The creation of a mandate to carry insurance is the latest idea coming out of Sacramento to remedy the health insurance crisis. Unfortunately, this kind of proposal may not be the right solution.
According to the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, 6.6 million Californians are uninsured.
The uninsured are disproportionately young and employed. They do not receive insurance from their employer, simply cannot afford it, or are not eligible for public health insurance.
The uninsured are less likely to see a doctor than an insured individual; and uninsured individuals rate themselves in worse health than insured individuals, according to the survey.
Lack of insurance is a serious problem because it leads to poor health outcomes."
Universal health plan more effective than making all Californians buy own insurance
Monday
Company Actually Sees Health Care Costs Decline
But not at Asheboro Elastics. In fact, health care costs at the 230-employee textile company have actually gone down by more than a quarter in the last three years.
Yet nationally, health insurance premiums nationally have risen 59 percent between 2000 and 2004, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey says. In North Carolina, there have been double digit annual increases in health insurance for the last few years, according to Business Journal research.
So what's Asheboro Elastics' secret? An on-site clinic where employees get basic medical care, prescriptions and advice on preventing and managing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Plus, the company negotiates to find the cheapest prices on drugs for employees.
Company Actually Sees Health Care Costs Decline
Yet nationally, health insurance premiums nationally have risen 59 percent between 2000 and 2004, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey says. In North Carolina, there have been double digit annual increases in health insurance for the last few years, according to Business Journal research.
So what's Asheboro Elastics' secret? An on-site clinic where employees get basic medical care, prescriptions and advice on preventing and managing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Plus, the company negotiates to find the cheapest prices on drugs for employees.
Company Actually Sees Health Care Costs Decline
Friday
Health Insurance Bills Battle for Passage
SACRAMENTO - Health care in California is working its way to the top of a mountain of bills introduced this legislative session. By Wednesday, the deadline to submit bills, lawmakers had crafted more than 3,000 pieces of legislation – an increasing number dealing with some form of health care.
Tuesday, assembly members Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, and Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, introduced a bill that would require all Californians to have health insurance coverage. Wednesday, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, flanked by a cadre of her Democrat colleagues, outlined her bill – The California Health Insurance Reliability Act - that would accomplish a similar goal but through a very different process. It is estimated at 6.8 million Californians are without health insurance coverage.
The separate pieces of legislation promise to divide supporters inside and outside the legislature. The Kuehl Bill, SB 840, with the moniker “CHIRA,” would create a single payer system, much like the federal MediCal program. All California residents would be eligible, health coverage would not be lost because of a change in employment or a hike in insurance premiums or because he or she has an existing health problem, such as diabetes. Best of all, according to Keuhl, the plan will be affordable for businesses and individuals. “This bill will save money and save lives,” she said.
Health Insurance Bills Battle for Passage
Tuesday, assembly members Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, and Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, introduced a bill that would require all Californians to have health insurance coverage. Wednesday, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, flanked by a cadre of her Democrat colleagues, outlined her bill – The California Health Insurance Reliability Act - that would accomplish a similar goal but through a very different process. It is estimated at 6.8 million Californians are without health insurance coverage.
The separate pieces of legislation promise to divide supporters inside and outside the legislature. The Kuehl Bill, SB 840, with the moniker “CHIRA,” would create a single payer system, much like the federal MediCal program. All California residents would be eligible, health coverage would not be lost because of a change in employment or a hike in insurance premiums or because he or she has an existing health problem, such as diabetes. Best of all, according to Keuhl, the plan will be affordable for businesses and individuals. “This bill will save money and save lives,” she said.
Health Insurance Bills Battle for Passage
New tack for California health insurance
"Boston University researchers released a study this week concluding that about half of all health care spending in the country is squandered on administrative waste, excessive pricing and fraud.
Yet Californians may soon have an alternative, at least if a state lawmaker succeeds in her latest effort to introduce universal health care.
State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, told me Thursday that she plans to unveil her California Health Insurance Reliability Act on Feb. 23.
It will be Kuehl's third stab at getting a universal-care bill through the Legislature. But this time things are a little different. "
New tack for health insurance:
Yet Californians may soon have an alternative, at least if a state lawmaker succeeds in her latest effort to introduce universal health care.
State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, told me Thursday that she plans to unveil her California Health Insurance Reliability Act on Feb. 23.
It will be Kuehl's third stab at getting a universal-care bill through the Legislature. But this time things are a little different. "
New tack for health insurance:
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