Could Hawaii Prove Affordable Health Insurance Mandate Supporters Right?
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
by Yamileth Medina
VitalOne Health
One of
the most controversial aspects of healthcare reform is the inclusion of
an individual and employer health insurance mandate. Proponents of the
mandate claim that it will help defray the increased cost of bringing
millions of uninsured Americans into the fold. Affordable health
insurance is most easily achieved when insurers are able to spread the
cost of coverage among the largest pool possible. Without a mandate,
there is the possibility that younger, healthier individuals will not
buy insurance--leaving only the sickest individuals in most need of
medical care insured. That will make the cost of coverage more
expensive. Congress has provided for subsidies that seek to make health
insurance policies more affordable, which serve as the carrot to
motivate that demographic. However, the government also needs a stick:
hence the mandates, which levy fines against individuals making over a
certain annual income that refuse to buy insurance.Despite those concerns, a mandate of some type is necessary to get health insurance companies on board; their cooperation is essential with the death of a public option. Since increased regulation will prevent them from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, they do not want people to delay buying coverage until they are already sick and need expensive medical care. Their business model is dependent on the majority of people paying years' worth of premiums into the system while they are not using much care.
Hawaii has taken a different path. Since 1974, the state has mandated that all employers over a certain size provide their employees with health insurance. The House of Representatives and the Senate have proposed similar mandates, with tax credits and exceptions for small businesses. In fact, the Clinton administration's healthcare reform efforts were inspired by the Hawaiian system. As a result, most residents have health insurance.
How has Hawaii's system worked? It has been surprisingly successful. Health insurance is one of the least expensive purchases on the islands, although costs are generally higher for everything else because of shipping expenses. Premiums and co-payments are some of the lowest in the United States. Supporters of their system point to the mandate, which results in a higher rate of insured, as the cause of their affordable health insurance. Emergency rooms are left for true emergencies, as opposed to being destinations of last resort where uninsured Americans cannot be denied care. Instead, non-emergency conditions are dealt with at earlier stages and a lower cost by primary care doctors.
The cost of covering a larger population has not been passed on to the federal government, either. When it comes to Medicare, Hawaii is the state with the least costly Medicare beneficiaries on an individual basis, even though their lifespans are longer than the national average. This is partially due to better comprehensive care for their population prior to their Medicare eligibility. Affordable health insurance policies drive insurance companies to have a greater focus on preventative care and promote wellness among patients. Therefore, Hawaiians may enter old age healthier, with fewer chronic medical conditions. On the mainland, Medicare must often play catch-up.
Most importantly, the affordable health insurance mandate does not appear to have hurt the quality of health care. None other than famed conservative commentator (and healthcare reform opponent) Rush Limbaugh recently praised the care he recieved in a Hawaiian hospital after being rushed there with chest pains. While his fortune and celebrity status may have had an impact on the attention paid to him, that wouldn't have mattered if they had old, outdated equipment and inferior physicians. Moreover, Limbaugh did not note any lengthy waiting lists; even if he had bypassed them himself due to his fame, surely he would have noticed if others had been waiting in the emergency room for a long time. It is possible that once the dust settles, the Hawaii system may be the best method for nationwide healthcare reform.
(Image: NJ Scott under CC 2.0)
Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find affordable health insurance right now. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.
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