Insurance Quotes Central

Posts Tagged ‘group health insurance’

The issues of health care and health insurance garnered plenty of attention and legislative activity in 2008. The volume of the activity clearly shows that lawmakers know that health care and insurance are issues that are of utmost import to Americans. Fewer and fewer can afford coverage as insurance premiums and prescriptons go through the roof and deductibles still continue to rise. In Washington DC recently, a health care forum was sponsored by two non-partisan organizations which brought to the fore that the general consensus amongst Senate staffers is that there is an expectation that major health care reform can be achieved in 2009.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), himself being treated for a brain tumorr, recently gave up his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in order to focus on health care, stating that it was “the opportunity of a lifetime” to finally get a plan enacted. Speaking at the forum, John McDonough, a health care aide to Kennedy stated that the Senator is committed to achieving reform and is very confident of its ability to pass.

The Republican Health Policy Director for the Senate Finance Committee, Charles Clapton stated that there was strong Republican support for getting the plan done, but that money is constricted by over a trillion dollar deficit. There would be competition for the funding, but with a system wherein private plans were delivering the benefits, we would see the most innovation. Similarly, Dr. Mark L. Hayes, the GOP Advisor for Health Policy on the Senate Finance Committe stressed the necessity for bipartisanship if a bill is to get passed, and that waiting 15 years to enact a plan will cause severe problems as opposed to solving the problem now.

Last year, 2008, brought an unusually large amount of attention to the issues of health care and health insurance. This high level of activity speaks directly to the interest level that the public holds regarding health in this country these days. And when the public shows interest in a topic, legislators are generally swayed soon thereafter.

There were some health related milestones in the food world in 2008. McDonald’s announced they would stop using trans fat laden oils to cook their french fries and baked goods in all their U.S. and Canada restaurants. And California became the first state in the nation to ban trans fats in restaurants. In more good news for arteries, dark chocolate was determined to be of value in lowering blood pressure and increasing blood circulation.

On the state level there was much activity. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, after pushing aggressively for a comprehensive health care reform, vetoed legislation that would have provided a single payer system. It was his second veto in three years of a similar plan. Across the country in Florida, Governor Charlie Crist was able to pass a law that will provide residents with affordable coverage through a new Florida health insurance program. Meanwhile, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle axed the state’s universal health insurance program for children, due to budget constraints. And in Massachusetts, due to skyrocketing costs, lawmakers were forced to raise premiums for the state-subsidized health insurance program.

In 2007, more Americans had health insurance than 2006. But what’s the outlook for 2008? Not good, says a report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

The EBRI report detailed that the number of Americans covered by employer health plans will clearly decrease, but the number of Americans who have picked up their own health insurance coverage has risen significantly.

It has been argued that with a stronger economy earlier in the year, people were able to afford to buy their own health care coverage. The Kansas City Star suggests that a stronger economy in the past year combined with low unemployment rates allowed more workers the ability to purchase their own plans.

This is not the current situation, however. With the economy on the downswing, and with unemployment rising, not as many people can afford their own health insurance.

Work loss not withstanding, higher food prices, higher gas prices and families struggling to pay mortgages are all causes for health insurance coverage to be amongst the first to be cut from a family’s budget.

Tweet This Post