CeasefireOnHealthCare.com
Title
Ceasefire on Health Care | Home Page
Description
Finding Common Ground for the Uninsured
Senator John Breaux is spearheading a national campaign titled, “Ceasefire on Health Care: Finding Common Ground for the Uninsured,” in an effort to stimulate dialogue with leading Republican and Democratic policymakers and advocates in order to develop meaningful, incremental reform to the nation’s health care system. The reality is that incremental reform is the road to health care improvements at least over the foreseeable future. Therefore, Ceasefire applauds bipartisan efforts to address the uninsured, and encourages legislative action on policies with broad support. It is time for policymakers to take action where common ground exists.
Affordable Access to Health Insurance is a Problem
The implications of not having health insurance are obvious: uninsured children and adults suffer worse health and die younger than those with insurance, often delaying care and diagnosis of potentially treatable conditions. But, the societal costs are not so obvious. Society is paying for the care of the uninsured through federal, state and local taxes to support government compensation of hospitals and clinics that provide services to the uninsured. Insured patients also feel the cost-shift of caring for uninsured patients through their private insurance premiums. As such, allowing the uninsured problem to continue is not a very good deal for uninsured and insured patients alike.
Potential Common Ground Exists
Health Insurance Tax Credits: The uninsured problem is circular: the costs of treating the uninsured are shifted to other payors through increased premiums, while increasing premiums create added barriers to health insurance for individuals and families. In 2003, over 8 in 10 uninsured individuals came from working families - 70% from families with one or more full-time workers and 12% from families with part-time workers. Unfortunately, these working adults and families often do not have access to affordable health insurance due to their low income (two-thirds earn less than 200% FPL). Tax credits would provide an incentive for these working adults and families to purchase health insurance in the private market, potentially resulting in fewer uninsured patients, less cost shifting, and lower premiums.
