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News and Headlines - 2006 Archive

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  • Insurer to target U.S. Hispanic market
    Aflac plans to focus on the U.S. Hispanic community in an effort to expand its domestic market share.  
    December 13, 2006
    Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  • N.J. considers plan offering health insurance to all
    New Jersey is the latest state to consider a plan to provide medical insurance to all state residents, including the current 1.2 million people who are uninsured. The plan, which could cost as much as $1.7 billion in the first year, would require all state residents to sign up for insurance plans, and those who do no have coverage would enroll in a plan sponsored by the state.
    December 12, 2006
    Source: The New York Times

  • Even with an Income Three Times the Poverty Level, Coverage is Still Out of Reach  
    More than half of the nation's uninsured residents are ineligible for public programs such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) but do not have enough resources to purchase coverage themselves, researchers from the Urban Institute report in a Health Affairs Web Exclusive published today. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the report.
          Fifty-six percent of America's uninsured are ineligible for public programs and have insufficient incomes to afford coverage on their own, the researchers report. Another 25 percent of the uninsured are eligible for public programs, and the remaining 20 percent have incomes high enough to afford coverage.
    November 2006
    Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • Small businesses worry about mandated insurance plans
    Employer-mandated insurance plans, in which employers will be required to pay for at least a portion of their employees' health care bills, are being considered in at least 17 states, and small businesses meanwhile are looking to their state governments to protect them from high costs that could prevent them from competing with other businesses. Most proposed employer-mandated insurance plans would only affect larger companies, but some small businesses say they have concerns they could be affected soon.
    November 5, 2006
    Source: Business Week

  • Employers crack down on ineligible insurance plan dependents
    Employers are watching for the practice of sneaking in a dependent on a health plan. Some firms say the number of dependents enrolled in plans who are not truly eligible for coverage is likely much higher than the estimate of 6% to 8%, and one columnist for The Washington Post describes an audit that company performed to make sure insurance dependents were qualified for coverage.  
    October 30, 2006
    Source: Boston Globe

  • Report Examines Cost-Sharing Lessons From RAND Health InsuranceExperiment
    The appropriate level of cost sharing for patients remains a key issue in designing both private and public health insurance.  A new report issued today by the Kaiser Family Foundation reviews the landmark RAND Health Insurance Experiment from the 1970s to offer insights into current policy debates about appropriate cost-sharing levels.

    One of the most ambitious health policy studies in U.S. history, the RAND experiment randomly assigned thousands of families to insurance with varying levels of patient co-insurance (no cost-sharing, 25% coinsurance, 50% coinsurance, and 95% coinsurance).  One plan had a deductible instead of coinsurance, and out-of-pocket expenses were capped as a percentage of family income up to a maximum of $1,000.  The researchers followed the participants for three to five years to evaluate the effects on their medical utilization and health status.
    October 30, 2006
    Source:  Kaiser Family Foundation

  • AHIP plans proposal for coverage of all uninsured Americans
    America 's Health Insurance Plans is preparing to unveil a proposal for a private/public partnership at the federal and state levels to help provide health coverage for all uninsured Americans. The plan is under wraps until the Nov. 13 release date, but an AHIP spokesman says it will include technology aspects in sync with efforts of the federal health care IT advisory panel.
    October 27, 2006
    Source: Healthcare IT News (Maine)

  • Hospitals find free preventive care for uninsured cuts costs
    The Seton Family of Hospitals in Austin, Texas, is among a small number of hospital systems around the nation that have started offering free primary care through their charity program to uninsured patients with chronic diseases. The system came to the conclusion that with so many uninsured patients, it would be cheaper to provide free preventive care than to have to pick up the higher costs of repeated emergency room visits.
    October 24, 2006
    Source: The New York Times

  • Poll: Insurance ranks among Americans' top health priorities
    While Americans say that lowering the number of uninsured people should be the top U.S. priority over the next two years, few feel that either party can accomplish the task, according to a new Wall Street Journal/Harris poll. The poll found 42% of Americans ranked "reducing the percentage of Americans without health insurance" as the top health care issue facing the nation, with Medicare reform ranking second and containing out-of-pocket costs for health care services third.
    October 24, 2006
    Source: The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

  • Study examines Hispanic health coverage by citizenship status
    Hispanics who are not U.S. citizens are more than twice as likely to be uninsured as those who are citizens, according to a new report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Among non-citizen Mexicans, two-thirds were uninsured in 2004 compared with 27% of citizens. Non-citizens in other Hispanic subgroups also were nearly twice as likely to be uninsured than their citizen counterparts. The estimates are based on 2004 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, co-sponsored by AHRQ and the National Center for Health Statistics.
    October 17, 2006
    Source: American Hospital Association

  • New Brief Examines Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans as an Option for Low-Income Families
     A new issue brief from the Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans (HDHP) as a viable option for low-income families. The brief suggests that the combination of an HSA and HDHP would be no more affordable for low-income families than existing insurance plan options.
    October 4, 2006
    Source:  Kaiser Family Foundation

  • Survey: Small businesses pay less for health premiums
    Small businesses typically pay lower health insurance premiums than do larger businesses, however, employees at the smaller companies tend to pay more of the tab through higher deductibles, according to a new study from America 's Health Insurance Plans.
    October 2, 2006
    Source: American City Business Journals/Atlanta

  • Report: Many uninsured children have working parents
    For most of the 9 million children in the U.S. who lack health insurance, at least one parent works full time, and in a quarter of the households, there are two working parents, according to a new report. About two-thirds of the families would indeed qualify for government-sponsored coverage for the children, but researchers say many parents don't know about it or the enrollment process is too challenging.  
    September 28, 2006
    Source:  Twincities.com/Associated Press

  • Survey: Insurance premium increases smallest in seven years
    The increase in health insurance premiums this year was the smallest since 1999, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation based on a telephone survey.  
    September 27, 2006
    Source: The New York Times/Associated Press

  • U.S. panel recommends affordable health care for all
    A federally appointed panel recommended Congress move immediately to guarantee that all Americans have access to health care they can afford by 2012. Although the 14-member Citizens' Health Care Working Group left many details to be decided, the panel said universal access should be public policy. The White House has 45 days to respond.  
    September 26, 2006
    Source: The New York Times

  • Health Insurance Premium Growth Moderates Slightly In 2006, But Still Increases Twice As Fast As Wages And Inflation Premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage rose an average 7.7 percent in 2006, less than the 9.2 percent increase recorded in 2005 and the recent peak of 13.9 percent in 2003, according to the 2006 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET). Key findings from the survey were also published today as a Health Affairs Web Exclusive.

    This year’s survey recorded the slowest rate of premium growth since 2000, though premiums still increased more than twice as fast as workers’ wages (3.8 percent) and overall inflation (3.5 percent). Premiums have increased 87 percent over the past six years. Family health coverage now costs an average $11,480 annually, with workers paying an average of $2,973 toward those premiums, about $1,354 more than in 2000.

    Health Affairs Web Exclusive by KFF and HRET researchers available at:
    http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.25.w476

    September 26, 2006
    Source:  Kaiser Family Foundation

  • New Report: Majority Of Uninsured Children Live In Two-Parent Families. In Most of these Two-Parent Families with Uninsured Children, BOTH Parents Work

    A majority of the more than 9 million children without health insurance in the United States live in two-parent families, according to a new report. In most of these two-parent families, both parents work.

    These are among the key findings in a comprehensive new analysis of uninsured children to be released on Sept. 28 by the national consumer organization Families USA on behalf of the Campaign for Children's Health Care - a coalition of more than 50 national organizations that seek to address the plight of uninsured children.

    According to the report, the overwhelming majority of uninsured children (88.3 percent) come from families where at least one parent works. For children who are uninsured, they are far less likely to receive needed health care than insured children. The report also details the medical outcomes afflicting uninsured children. It reveals, for example, that the uninsured child is many times more likely to lack a usual source of health care, have far fewer doctor visits, and have many more unmet medical and dental needs than the insured child.

    In addition, the report provides detailed state-by-state data on the number of uninsured children in the state, family status, and family income. The report also includes the rates of uninsured children ranked by state.

    September 25, 2006
    Source:  Common Dreams Newswire

  • Health Care Coverage and Access for Hispanics: How Does It Differ Across America
    A new report from the Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured finds that as the Hispanic population grows and moves beyond urban centers, Hispanics in "new growth communities" face greater barriers to health care than those in cities considered "major Hispanic centers."

    By 2003, the uninsured rate for Hispanics in new growth communities rose to a level equal to that of Hispanics in major centers. However, less than half (43%) of the Hispanic population in new growth communities live within five miles of a community health center compared to 71% of the population in major centers. Additionally, only half of the new growth community Hispanics live within 10 miles of a safety-net hospital compared to 82% of Hispanics in major centers.
    September 21, 2006
    Source:  Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured

  • Study Finds Employees Struggling to Effectively Manage Their Healthcare

    A recent survey released by Hewitt Associates reveals that, despite concerns over rising healthcare costs and the increasing complexity of health plans, most employees are not effectively managing their healthcare and are looking to employers to provide resources that can help them make better and more informed decisions throughout the year.  The study was based on more than 18,000 employee responses to questions relating to key issues in healthcare, including healthcare costs, decision-making tools, healthy behaviors, high deductible health plans (HDHP) with health savings accounts (HSA) and health risk questionnaires.  Some key findings of the survey:

    Almost 80 percent of respondents worry healthcare coverage will ultimately become unaffordable, and more than half believe that choosing and using the healthcare plan that best meets their needs gets more complex every year.

    While the majority of employees believe their companies provide sufficient tools and information to choose and use their plans, only half say they used those tools.

    Only 30 percent of employees using HDHPs with HSAs said they understood and were satisfied with their selection, and more than half said they would not re-enroll next year.

    For more information on this study, visit the Hewitt Web site at www.hewitt.com .

    September 20, 2006
    Source:  Hewitt Newsroom

  • States allowing children to stay on parents' insurance longer
    States increasingly are extending the time that children can be considered dependent for insurance purposes. About half of all states have studied proposals allowing children to "piggyback" on their parents' insurance policies, and at least nine states have passed laws, with New Jersey setting the highest age limit of 30.
    September 16, 2006
    Source: The New York Times

  • Universal care central for some Democratic Senate candidates
    Former U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who is running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Maryland , called for a single-payer, universal health insurance system that would be like "Medicare for all." Mfume's principal rival for the nomination, U.S. Rep Benjamin L. Cardin, also has made universal health insurance the central message of his campaign.
    August 31, 2006
    Source: Baltimore Sun

  • Report: American medical care well worth the cost
    Although they complain about the high cost of medical care, most Americans receive a worthwhile return for their expenditure, according to a new report. The Harvard study said that, on average, each expenditure of $19,900 on medical care, including drugs, gains Americans an extra year of life expectancy, making the cost well worth it.  
    August 30, 2006
    Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

  • Nearly 17 million Americans uninsured for 4 years
    An estimated 16.9 million Americans under age 65 were uninsured for the entire four-year period from 2001-2004, according to a new report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. They were disproportionately Hispanic (38%) and poor (23%), based on the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and National Health Interview Survey data. Nearly one in 10 of the long-term uninsured categorized their health status as fair to poor. Adults age 18-24 were most likely to be uninsured for the four-year period (10%), in terms of age, while children under 18 were least likely (3%). Report available at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/papers/st136/stat136.pdf
    August 28, 2006
    Source: Mississippi Hospital Association Press Room

  • New Issue Brief Documents a Decline in Employer-Sponsored Insurance for Low-Income Americans
    A new RWJF-supported issue brief documents the decline in health coverage from employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) for low-income adults and children between 2000 and 2004.

    The Role of Medicaid and SCHIP as an Insurance Safety Net was prepared by researchers at The Urban Institute with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

    The report uses data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey to document its findings. During this period, uninsurance rates for low-income children fell by more than 2 percentage points, because Medicaid and SCHIP expansion offset the reduction in ESI. Without a similar public coverage safety net for adults, uninsured rates for adults increased nearly 3 percentage points in the same period. The Issue Brief also looks at whether public coverage tended to offset the reduction in ESI in some states more than in others.

    Download full text of the report (PDF, 58 kb)
    August 25, 2006
    Source: Bringing Health Information to the Community (BHIC)

  • Health insurance enrollment down at large companies
    Eight in 10 eligible workers enrolled in health coverage offered by a large employer in 2004, down from 87% in 1996, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports. Roughly 97% of employees at large private sector firms, defined as those with 50 or more workers, were offered coverage by their employer in 2004. The steepest decline in enrollment at large firms over the eight-year period was in retail, falling to 69% from 82%. The data are from the AHRQ’s 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/MEPSDATA/ic/2004/Index104.htm
    August 23, 2006
    Source: Mississippi Hospital Association Press Room

  • Report: Many in middle, upper classes have trouble affording health care
    As many as half of adults in middle-income families say they have had serious problems paying for their health care in the past two years, and even many in affluent families said they had trouble paying for medical bills, according to a new report. One health expert said it was surprising that people earning more than $50,000 were having difficulties affording health care and the high costs of care obviously are impacting more people.  
    August 17, 2006
    Source: American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

  • Survey: Fewer small businesses offering health coverage
    Only about 58% of small businesses have health insurance plans for their employees, and 11% of small-business owners who do offer coverage are considering dropping the plans next year, according to a new survey from SurePayroll, an online pay service provider for small firms. Among firms that do not offer benefits, 44% do not expect to change their policies, but 46% said they had some interest in health care.  
    (subscription required)
    August 14, 2006
    Source: The Wall Street Journal

  • Where Americans live affects health insurance costs
    The average annual health insurance premium in 2004 for job-related family coverage ranged from $7,800 in North Dakota to $11,742 in the District of Columbia , according to new data from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The next most expensive states were New Jersey ($11,425), New Hampshire ($11,156), Connecticut ($11,035) and Maine ($10,823), while the next least expensive were Arkansas ($8,383), Hawaii ($8,580), Utah ($8,654) and Idaho ($8,908). The national average premium for job-related family coverage was $10,006. Premiums for single and employee-plus-one coverage also varied by state, as did the average employee contribution toward the premium. The data are from the agency’s 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/papers/st135/stat135.pdf.
    August 10, 2006
    Source: PA State Nurses Association

  • Report: Health coverage for children on the rise
    The number of uninsured children declined by more than 20% between 1997 and 2004 as more states set up programs to provide coverage, according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As many as 70% of the 8 million children without health insurance are eligible for coverage, according to the report.  
    August 9, 2006
    Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer /Associated Press (free registration)

  • Number of Uninsured Children Declines as Enrollment in State Health Insurance Programs Increases
    The percentage of uninsured kids in America  has decreased by 20 percent since Congress approved the government-funded State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997, according to a report supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

    The Foundation released The State of Kids’ Coverage today to kick off the Covering Kids & Families’ Back-to-School Campaign, a nationwide effort to enroll eligible children in public health coverage programs during the back-to-school season. The report shows that the number of uninsured children has decreased by 2 million since the creation of SCHIP and recent expansions in public programs. In the same period, the number of uninsured Americans has increased by nearly 5 million people.

    August 9, 2006
    Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • The State of Kids' Coverage Report Released
    Today the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation kicked off the seventh annual Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign - a nationwide effort encouraging parents to enroll their eligible, uninsured children in Medicaid or SCHIP.  SHADAC researchers prepared a report, "The State of Kids' Coverage," showing that the percentage of uninsured kids in in the U.S. has decreased since the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was approved by Congress in 1997. You may download the report at:
    http://www.shadac.umn.edu/img/assets/18528/CKFBackSchool_Aug2006.pdf
    August, 2006
    Source: State Health Access Data Assistance Center

  • San Francisco Approves Universal Access Bill
    With the unanimous approval of the Health Care Security Ordinance by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the city will be the first in the nation to provide universal access to all residents of the city.
    July 26, 2006
    Source: Academy Health: Sateside

  • Judge Finds “Wal-Mart” Bill Invalid
     Maryland’s Fair Share in Health Care Act, also known as the “Wal-Mart Bill” (S.B. 790/ H.B 1284) struck down by courts as violation of ERISA
    July 26, 2006
    Source: AcademyHealth Stateside

  • Communities with many uninsured often have lower ED use, study finds
    Contrary to popular belief, communities with high levels of uninsured or immigrant residents generally have lower rates of hospital emergency department use than other communities, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. Published online by Health Affairs, the study concludes that much of the considerable variation in ED use across communities is not explained by differences in population, and that continued increases in ED use nationally are more likely to be driven by increased demand for health care in general. “Although rising uninsurance rates might not raise ED visit rates among the population, higher levels of uncompensated ED visits in many hospitals are likely to result, especially in public hospitals and other safety-net hospitals that tend to serve a high proportion of uninsured people,” the authors add. Caroline Steinberg, AHA vice president for trends analysis, said the findings are not surprising. “The sad fact is that people without health insurance seek less care, but when they do they are more likely to be sicker, because they put off care,” she said.
    July 18, 2006
    Source: American Hospital Association

  • Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 set for April
    The fifth annual Cover the Uninsured Week will be held April 23-29, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced yesterday. The AHA is a national partner in the annual campaign, led by the RWJF, to raise awareness about the nearly 46 million Americans without health insurance and to help those who are eligible enroll in low-cost or free health coverage programs. "Cover the Uninsured Week has become an annual rallying point for people from all sectors of society to demand that health coverage be our nation's top priority,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., RWJF president and CEO.
    July 7, 2006
    Source: American Hospital Association 

  • CDC: 51.3 million Americans uninsured in 2005
    An estimated 51.3 million Americans or 17.6% of the population were uninsured for at least part of the year in 2005, down from 51.6 million and 17.9% in 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The data are from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey, which measures lack of health insurance coverage at the time the respondent was interviewed, as well as for the prior 12 months and longer. Roughly 41.2 million people (14.2% of the population) were uninsured at the time they were interviewed in 2005, about 900,000 fewer than the previous year, although there was no significant change in the percentage of uninsured Americans under 65. You may download the report at:
    http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200606.pdf
    June 22, 2006
    Source: American Hospital Association

  • AMA adds individual responsibility to proposal for covering uninsured
    At its annual meeting today, the American Medical Association endorsed requiring individuals and families to obtain basic health care coverage as part of a legislative approach to covering the nation’s more than 46 million uninsured residents. The association said individuals and families earning more than 500% of the federal poverty level ($49,000 for an individual and $100,000 for a family of four) should be required to obtain a minimum of catastrophic health care and evidence-based preventive health care, using the tax structure to achieve compliance. The association said it would support a similar requirement for those earning less than 500% of the poverty level once a system of refundable tax credits or other subsidies to obtain health care coverage was implemented. The AMA said it will advocate for legislation that includes tax credits for the purchase of insurance, individually selected and owned health insurance, the expansion and formation of new health insurance opt ions, changes in health insurance market regulations, and individual responsibility.
    June 13, 2006
    Source: American Hospital Association

  • Most health savings accounts are staying empty
    Many consumers simply aren't funding the health-savings accounts or HSAs linked to their high-deductible health insurance, say several new studies, calling into question whether the impact of consumer-directed health plans is all it's cracked up to be. As of January, about 3.2 million Americans were enrolled in high-deductible plans, but only 820,000 of them -- 26 percent -- had opened and funded an HSA, according to data from Inside Consumer-Directed Care, a newsletter published by Atlantic Information Services. 
    June 9, 2006
    Source: San Francisco Business Times

  • Employer-Based Insurance: Coverage and Cost
    Despite recent moderation in premium increases, the cost of health insurance continues to be a major concern for employers, employees, and policymakers. In California , about two thirds of businesses, representing almost 90 percent of workers, offer health insurance. A new CHCF snapshot, Employer-Based Insurance: Coverage and Cost , provides an overview of the employer-based coverage landscape. The report examines which employers offer coverage, how many workers are enrolled, and how employer premium contributions vary.

    The report finds:

    • Significant variation in employer premium contributions as a share of payroll—from less than 4 percent to more than 15 percent.
    • A typical enrollee in employer-based coverage makes a premium contribution of about 1.5 percent of annual wages, with low-income workers contributing almost three times that amount.
    • Expanding employer-sponsored coverage in California to cover all full-time workers would produce new costs for more than half of businesses.

    June 2006
    Source: California Healthcare Foundation

  • AHRQ Conference: Informing Policy on Health Care Costs and Insurance Coverage"
    On May 3, Kathleen Call participated in an AHRQ-sponsored conference on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Her presentation “The Problem, Progress Made and Prospects for the Future: Implications of Kreider and Hill’s Research” points out that uncertainty about estimates of uninsurance undermines the usefulness of the data, and that validation studies reduce uncertainty and increase confidence in use of coverage estimates.
    The presentation is available at: http://www.shadac.umn.edu/shadac/pubs/presentations.html
    May 31, 2006
    Source: State Health Access Data Assistance Center

  • Report: young adults largest, fastest-growing segment of uninsured
    Young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 are the largest and fastest-growing group without health insurance, according to a report released today by the Commonwealth Fund. A total of 13.7 million young adults lack health insurance in the U.S. , an increase of 2.5 million from 2000, the report states. More than half of uninsured young adults said they have opted against receiving health care because of cost, and 46% reported that they were paying off medical debt or had difficulty paying medical bills. The authors of the report suggest the following policy changes to help uninsured young adults gain coverage: extend Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program eligibility beyond the current 18-year-old age limit; allow children to be eligible for their parents' health insurance beyond age 19, regardless of student status; and have states demand that colleges and universities require students to have insurance and offer full- and part-time students health insurance.
    May 24, 2006
    Source: American Hospital Association

  • MEPS Statistical Brief #124
    The Persistence in the Level of Health Expenditures over Time: Estimates for the U.S. Population, 2002–2003
    Steven B. Cohen, PhD and William Yu, MA
    May 2006

  • Chicago Tribune Examines Growth in Number of Small Businesses Offering High-Deductible Health Coverage
    The Chicago Tribune on Tuesday examined how about 60% of the 45 million uninsured U.S. residents "come from families where the primary breadwinner owns or works for a small business," as "the percentage of small businesses offering coverage is plunging." Because of increasing insurance costs, "a growing percentage of small businesses are turning to insurance plans with deductibles of $1,000 or more for individual coverage and $2,000 or more for family coverage," the Tribune reports, adding that some small businesses are offering plans with $5,000 deductibles. Gary Claxton, a Kaiser Family Foundation vice president, said, "Health insurance becomes less affordable every year." Some companies have begun offering wellness incentives, health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts to address increasing insurance costs
    May 16, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Health Insurance Less "Generous" in Rural States
    Reuters Health article via Yahoo News reports that Americans who live in rural states or work for small businesses get less bang for their buck when it comes to health insurance, new research shows.
    May 15, 2006
    Source:  Reuters Health

  • Employees in Small Firms Pay 18% More for Health Insurance When Adjusted for Value of PlanEmployees in the smallest firms (1–9 workers) pay an average 18% more in health insurance premiums than those in the largest firms (1,000+ workers), when actuarial value—the percentage of total medical expenses paid by a health plan—is taken into account, a new Commonwealth Fund–supported study finds.
    May 9, 2006
    Source:  Commonwealth Fund

  • Report Shows Decline in Employees Accepting Health Insurance, Rising Insurance Premiums Across Nation
    "Shifting Ground: Changes in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance" a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) shows an increasing number of employees in America are declining their employer's offer of health insurance, as the cost of individual premiums increased dramatically across the nation over a five-year period.
    May 8, 2006
    Source:  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • Costco scores big with small business insurance offerings
    Costco Wholesale Corp.'s partnership with Health Net has been overwhelmingly popular in Oregon and Washington, where 10,500 small-business members, representing nearly 70% of Costco's membership, have signed up.
    May 5, 2006
    Source: American City Business Journals/Portland (free registration req'd)

  • Number of Workers Enrolled in Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage Drops; Employees Decline Coverage Because of Cost, Study Says
    The percentage of U.S. employees eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance who decided to enroll decreased from 85.3% in 1998 to 80.3% in 2003, according to a report released on Thursday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.
    May 5, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • GAO Report Finds Lack of Competition Among Insurers Offering Health Plans to Small Businesses
    A small number of health insurers account for a large share of the policies sold to small businesses in most states, a trend that has left consumers with fewer selections and higher costs, according to a recently released Government Accountability Office report, the New York Times reports. According to the report, the largest health insurer in the average state held 43% of the market for small group coverage, compared with 33% in 2002.
    May 2, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Uninsured More Likely to Skip Medical Care, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Study Finds
    Forty-one percent of uninsured adults skipped medical care because of cost in the past year, compared with 9% of insured adults, according to a study released on Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Newport News Daily Press reports. The study examines Census data and a CDC telephone survey of adults in each state. It finds that uninsured adults are four times more likely than insured adults to avoid seeing a doctor for medical care, including recommended cancer screenings and monitoring of chronic conditions. Nationwide, nearly 46 million U.S. residents are uninsured, according to RWJF.
    April 27, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Study Finds More Moderate and Middle-Income American Families Uninsured
    Two of five (41%) working-age Americans with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 a year were uninsured for at least part of the past year—a dramatic and rapid increase from 2001 when just over one-quarter (28%) of those with moderate incomes were uninsured, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund, Gaps in Health Insurance: An All-American Problem, prepared for the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System.
    April 26, 2006
    Source:  Commonwealth Fund

  • Expert Perspectives on the 2005 Biennial Health Insurance Survey Findings
    According to Gaps in Health Insurance: An All-American Problem, a report prepared for the Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System, two of five working-age Americans with annual incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 were uninsured for at least part of the past year. This represents a dramatic and rapid rise from 2001, when just over one-quarter of this group was uninsured.
          The study, authored by Sara R. Collins, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Fund, finds that 21 percent of adults surveyed, insured as well as uninsured, are struggling to pay off medical debt, while nearly 60 percent of chronically ill adults with a recent time uninsured skipped their medications because they could not afford them.
         The survey also found that the uninsured are more likely to go without recommended cancer, cholesterol, and blood pressure screenings. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation analysis released today confirms similar trends in every state.
    April 2006
    Source: The Commonwealth Fund

  • Texas Task Force Recommends Additional Spending, Obtaining Federal Matching Funds To Improve Access for Uninsured
    Texas should make a greater investment in health care through additional spending and by working to obtain additional federal matching funds, according to a report released this week by the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, the Houston Chronicle reports. The report, titled "Code Red: The Critical Condition of the Health of Texas," describes a range of recommendations meant to improve access to health care for the 25% of Texans who are uninsured.
    April 18, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • April St@teside Newsletter
    Headlines include the following: "Massachusetts Passes Landmark Bill", " Tennessee Governor Proposes New Health Care Reforms", " Insure Montana", " West Virginia Enacts Health Reform Bill", " Wyoming Seeks New HIFA Waiver", " Update on Federal Activities", " Cover the Uninsured Week 2006 Highlights State and Local Health Care Strategies", "Save the Date: SCI Summer Meeting", "State Health Research and Policy Interest Group Activities", "Reports of Interest"
    April 18, 2006
    Source: State Coverage Initiatives.

  • USA Today Looks at Challenges Small Businesses Face in Providing Health Insurance to Workers
    USA Today on Wednesday examined how small businesses are "driven crazy by soaring employee health costs, an expense that surveys show has become the biggest headache and obstacle to growth," and how "a growing army of consultants and benefits experts are promoting new health plans and services aimed at owners desperate to rein in costs." For example, some health insurers have begun to reduce premium rates for small businesses that offer wellness programs to employees. In addition, many small businesses have begun to contract with professional employer organizations, which charge an annual fee to manage employee health benefits and other personnel issues. PEOs combine employee groups into larger pools to reduce health care costs for small businesses. Some small businesses also have begun to offer high-deductible health plans with health savings accounts or health reimbursement arrangements to reduce health care costs. Ivy Silver, founder of Commonwealth Consulting Group, added that small businesses "have to use some of the same techniques large employers are using" to reduce health care costs (Hopkins, USA Today, 4/19).
    April 19, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • State High Risk Pools
    On February 10, 2006, President Bush signed into law the State High Risk Pool Funding Extension Act of 2006 authorizing appropriations to states for the establishment and operation of high-risk health insurance pools. Currently, approximately 30 states operate this type of high-risk health insurance pools. Yet enrollment is limited and challenges are plentiful.
    April 14, 2006
    Source: Health Care Financing & Organization

  • Lawmakers Debate Small Business Health Coverage Proposals
    The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday held a hearing to discuss legislative solutions to help small businesses provide health coverage, including a bill (S 1955) that would allow them to form association health plans under certain conditions, CQ HealthBeat reports. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, would allow small businesses to join association health plans to buy less regulated coverage, according to CQ HealthBeat
    April 6, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Massachusetts Bill Requires Health Insurance for All
    Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday that would make Massachusetts the first state to require that all of its citizens have some form of health insurance.
    April 4, 2006
    Source: NPR

  • West Virginia Governor Signs Bill To Expand Health Care for Low-Income Individuals
    West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) on Monday signed into law a bill (HB 4021) designed to expand health care access for low-income workers, the Charleston Gazette reports (Finn, Charleston Gazette, 4/4). The bill, which was approved by both the House and the Senate in March, includes a series of proposals, including Manchin's pilot program that would establish clinic-based primary care services for an undetermined prepaid fee.
    April 4, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Newspapers Examine Massachusetts Bill To Require Health Coverage
    Several newspapers on Thursday published articles and editorials addressing the plan passed by the Massachusetts Legislature on Tuesday that would require all uninsured residents to purchase coverage by July 1, 2007, and employers with 11 or more workers to provide health coverage for employees or pay a fee.
    April 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • A Growing Hole in the Safety Net: Physician Charity Care Declines Again
    Continuing a decade-long trend, the proportion of U.S. physicians providing charity care dropped to 68 percent in 2004-05 from 76 percent in 1996-97, according to a national study from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). The ongoing decline in physician charity care is alarming given the increase in the number of uninsured people, particularly during the first half of the decade. Declines in charity care were observed across most major specialties, practice types, practice income levels and geographic regions. Increasing financial pressures and changes in practice arrangements may account in part for the continuing decrease in physician charity care.
    March 2006
    Source: The Center for Studying Health System Change

  • Physician charity care on decline, stressing health care safety net
    The proportion of U.S. physicians providing charity care dropped to 68% from 76% in the last decade, according to a study released today by Center for Studying Health System Change. The decline occurred as the number of uninsured Americans grew to 45.5 million in 2004, signaling growing stress on the health care safety net, the organization said. “Unless there are steps taken to halt and even reverse increases in the number of uninsured, it is likely that safety net resources will become even more constrained as a result of increased demand,” the authors conclude.
    March 2006
    Source: Center for Studying Health System Change

  • Most People Seeking Treatment in Emergency Departments Have Health Insurance, Study Says
    Most emergency department patients have health insurance and regular primary care physicians, according to a study published on Wednesday by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Los Angeles Times reports. For the study, researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of California-San Francisco surveyed 32,669 households in the U.S. in 2001. According to the study, respondents without health insurance accounted for about 15% of ED visits. In addition, the study finds that about 84% of respondents who visited EDs four or more times annually had health insurance and that 81% had access to primary care through a physician or a clinic. About half of respondents who visited EDs four or more times annually were enrolled in public health insurance programs such as Medicaid or Medicare, and one-third had private coverage, the study finds. The study estimates that about 45 million U.S. adults made a total of 80 million visits to EDs between July 2000 and June 2001. Some experts said that the study indicates an expansion of health insurance alone would not significantly help EDs address problems with overcrowding, which they said results in large part because patients cannot obtain appointments with their physicians or must wait for hospital beds (Yi, Los Angeles Times, 3/29).
    March 29, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Fewer Physicians Providing Charity Care, Study Says
    The percentage of physicians who provide charity care to uninsured patients is decreasing, while the number of uninsured is increasing, according to a study released by the Center for Studying Health System Change on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reports (Brown, Wall Street Journal, 3/23).
    March 23, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • One-Third of Colorado's Uninsured Population Has Full-Time Employment, Report Says
    Adults with full-time jobs make up about 33% of Colorado's uninsured population, according to a Colorado Health Institute report released on Monday, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. Part- and full-time workers together make up 57% of the state's uninsured population, according to the report. The report finds that people who lack insurance are more likely to work at companies with 10 or fewer employees and are much less likely to work for companies with 500 or more employees. In addition, 40% of the uninsured live in households with annual incomes at most twice the federal poverty level, while 10% of Colorado residents with insurance are in that income bracket. Jeff Bontrager, research analyst for CHI, said, "One of the misconceptions is that uninsured workers only work part time, or part of the year. The report suggests that lack of insurance is a problem among (all) workers" (Brand, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 3/21).
    March 21, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • BusinessWeek Online Examines Efforts by Three Small Companies To Provide Health Insurance to Employees
    BusinessWeek Online on March 16 profiled efforts by three small businesses to provide health benefits for employees "despite the pressures and costs."
    March 21, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • 30% of Mid-Size, Large Companies Offering High-Deductible Health Plans This Year, Survey Says
    More big employers in the U.S. are offering high-deductible health plans as part of their workers' health plan options, according to a recent Watson Wyatt and National Business Group on Health survey, Reuters reports. According to the survey, which polled 585 employers, nearly 30% of large and mid-size companies currently are offering the plans, compared with 7% of companies responding to a Watson Wyatt survey in 2004. The 2006 survey also finds that 60% of companies thought high-deductible health plans would be somewhat effective in controlling health care cost increases. Further, 24% of companies required significant increases in employee contributions last year, compared with 32% who did in 2004 (Dixon, Reuters, 3/16). A press release about the survey is available online.
    March 16, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Chrysler Group To Announce Reduction in Health Benefits for Salaried Employees
    The Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler on Wednesday plans to announce a reduction in health benefits for salaried employees after a scheduled meeting of company officials to consider the plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, individuals who are familiar with the plan called the proposed reduction in health benefits "modest," and one individual said that the proposal would include a reduction in prescription drug coverage. In addition, another individual said the plan "wouldn't impose a cap to retiree health care coverage," but whether the proposal will include higher copayments or premiums remains "unclear," the Journal reports. A DaimlerChrysler spokesperson declined to comment on the plan. The move by Chrysler would follow similar efforts by General Motors and Ford Motor to reduce health care costs to "stay competitive with foreign auto makers," who offer "less-generous retirement plans," according to the Journal (Boudette/Stoll, Wall Street Journal, 3/15).
    March 15, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Wal-Mart Has More Employees in Public Health Care Programs Than Other Companies in 19 States, AFL-CIO Report Says
    Wal-Mart Stores has more employees enrolled in public health care programs than any other company in at least 19 states, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the AFL-CIO, Reuters/Washington Post reports. The report, titled "The Wal-Mart Tax: Shifting Health Care Costs to Taxpayers," examined data from 23 states in which information about Medicaid and other public health assistance programs could be linked to employers. Researchers found that in 19 states, more workers from Wal-Mart than from any other company relied on public health care programs, such as Medicaid, for their health needs.
    March 15, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Minnesota Senate Committee Passes Bill Mandating Large Companies Provide More to Worker Health Insurance
    The Minnesota Senate Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee on Monday approved by voice vote a bill that would require the state's largest employers to pay health insurance costs for their workers, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
    March 13, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • Study: Health care safety net plays key role in caring for uninsured children
    The availability of health care safety net providers and their capacity to serve the uninsured play an important role in promoting access to care among uninsured children, according to a study in the March issue of Pediatrics. The study by Rand Corp. found fewer than half of uninsured children received any health care services in the previous year, compared with 80% of insured children. Rural uninsured children were more likely to receive services if they lived near safety net providers such as public hospitals, community hospital emergency departments or federally funded community health centers. Urban uninsured children were more likely to receive services where safety net providers received more government funding. “Possible measures for ensuring access to health care among uninsured children include increasing the density of safety net providers in rural areas, enhancing funding for the safety net, and policies to increase primary care physician supply,” the authors conclude.
    March 3, 2006
    Source: PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3

  • New York Legislature Considering Bills To Require Most Businesses To Offer Workers Health Benefits
    Under legislation unveiled in the New York state Legislature on Tuesday, many employers would be required to provide workers health insurance, the New York Times reports. The Fair Share for Health Care act is based on a proposal by the Working Families Party, according to the Times. The legislation would tax businesses with more than 100 employees the equivalent of $3 an hour per worker unless they provide health coverage equal to that amount (Hakim, New York Times, 3/8). Agricultural and manufacturing businesses would be exempt from the bill, which could affect 450,000 workers in the state, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. Wal-Mart, Federated Department Stores, The Gap, Duane Reade and other businesses would be affected if the legislation becomes law (Choi, AP/Long Island Newsday, 3/7). New York is among at least 20 states that are considering similar legislation to require employers to provide adequate health insurance for their workers. In January, Maryland approved a law requiring employers with more than 10,000 employees in the state to spend at least 8% of their payroll on healthcare. Wal-Mart is the only business affected by that legislation (Wechsler, Albany Times Union, 3/8). Andrew Rush, a spokesperson for New York Gov. George Pataki (R), said, "We haven't seen the bills so we couldn't comment yet. We'll review them when they're sent to us" (New York Times, 3/8). Wal-Mart spokesperson Philip Serghini said the company was already taking steps to make health plans more affordable for employees. Lawmakers said they would introduce the legislation later this month (Albany Times Union, 3/8).
    March 9, 2006
    Source: KaiserNetwork.org

  • HHS Approves Waiver for Arkansas Program That Would Provide Insurance to 80,000 Uninsured, Low-Income Workers
    As expected, HHS officials on Tuesday approved a waiver to allow Arkansas to receive federal Medicaid funds for a program that will provide low-cost health insurance to small businesses, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. The program first will target businesses with 50 or fewer employees and will require employers that participate to guarantee coverage for all workers, regardless of income or other factors, with the exception of those who have coverage though their spouses. Employers must not have provided health insurance to employees for 12 consecutive months to qualify for the program (Smith/Baskin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/8). Under the program, employers must pay $15 monthly for employees with annual incomes less than 200% of the poverty level and $100 monthly for higher-income employees. Employees who participate in the program must pay annual deductibles of $100 and 15% of the cost of services, with maximum out-of-pocket costs of $1,000 annually. The program each year will cover six physician visits, seven days of inpatient hospital care and two outpatient hospital procedures or emergency department visits, as well as two prescriptions monthly (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/7). The program will not provide catastrophic coverage. The state will fund the program in part with $18 million in proceeds from the 1998 national tobacco settlement over the next five years. The federal government will pay 82 cents of each dollar spent by the state for employees with children and 73 cents of each dollar spent for those without children. Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said, "We're not announcing today perfection. We're not announcing today a safety net that covers everything for all time for all people. But we are announcing a significant safety net for what could be up to 80,000 Arkansans per year" (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/8).
    March 8, 2006
    Source: KaiserNetwork.org

  • Vermont House Gives Preliminary Approval to Bill Creating State-Funded Health Program for Uninsured
    The Vermont House on Thursday voted 81-56 to approve a bill that would create a new state-funded health program for the uninsured and change how care is provided to Vermont residents with chronic diseases, the Burlington Free Press reports. Funding for the new Catamount Health program and the disease management initiative would come from the federal government, a 60-cent-per-pack increase in the state's cigarette tax and payments that tobacco manufacturers will make to the state beginning in 2008. State Rep. Harry Chen (D) said that reducing the number of uninsured in the state and improving care for those with chronic conditions would decrease overall health care costs. He said, "Doing nothing is not an option," adding, "This recognizes what is working and builds on that. It doesn't turn the system upside down." State Rep. Malcolm Severance (R), a bill co-author, said that the results of the reforms would not be quick but noted that when the bill is coupled with a package of health care reforms passed by the Senate, it would have a positive effect on the cost of care. He added, "This is a step in the right direction." However, state Rep. Tom Koch (R) said, "The fact that [the cigarette tax] is a declining source of revenue makes this very complicated. This bill is not adequately funded. It is bound to collapse." State Rep. Richard Westman (R) said that the money raised by increasing the cigarette tax should be used to address Medicaid funding shortfalls (Remsen, Burlington Free Press, 3/3).
    March 7, 2006
    Source: KaiserNetwork.org

  • CMS Expected To Approve 'Innovative' Arkansas Program That Would Provide Insurance to 80,000 Uninsured, Low-Income Workers
    HHS officials on Monday said they likely will approve a waiver to allow Arkansas to receive federal Medicaid funds for an "innovative" employer-based health insurance program that "does not meet the usual Medicaid standards for eligibility and benefits," the New York Times reports. The program, designed to provide health insurance for 80,000 low-income state residents, would require that employers who participate guarantee that all employees would receive coverage, regardless of income or other factors. The program each year would cover six physician visits, seven days of inpatient hospital care and two outpatient hospital procedures or emergency department visits, as well as two prescriptions monthly. Under the program, employers would have to pay $15 monthly for employees with annual incomes less than 200% of the poverty level and $100 monthly for higher-income employees, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said. Employees who participate in the program would pay annual deductibles of $100 and 15% of the cost of services, with maximum out-of-pocket costs of $1,000 annually, according to Arkansas officials. State officials expect 50,000 employees with annual incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level and 30,000 workers with higher incomes to enroll in the program. State Rep. David Johnson (D) said that Arkansas will help fund the program with proceeds from the 1998 national tobacco settlement.
    March 7, 2006
    Source: KaiserNetwork.org

  • Tax Incentives Under HSAs Could Help High-Income U.S. Residents
    Bloomberg/Winston-Salem Journal on Friday examined how a proposal from President Bush to expand health savings accounts might "prove a tax-free boon for the nation's rich." Both supporters and opponents of the proposal have said that the "enhanced HSAs offer unprecedented tax advantages and may become more attractive than 401(k)s or individual retirement accounts as a way for the richest and healthiest Americans to build savings," according to Bloomberg/Journal. The proposal would increase the maximum contribution to HSAs and offer a tax credit for account holders to offset payroll taxes, as well as allow tax-free earnings growth and tax-free withdrawals for out-of-pocket medical expenses. According to Bloomberg/Journal, opponents maintain that the proposal "favors the wealthy because they are more likely to have the disposable income to contribute the maximum amount" and "favors the healthy because they have fewer out-of-pocket medical expenses that would deplete the account." Steven Bankler, a certified public accountant, said, "The wealthier, healthier people think it's very advantageous. To them, it's a savings account. But for a client with diabetes, his out-of-pocket medical costs are going to be the maximum. There is really no savings." However, according to supporters, the proposal would ensure that individuals who purchase their own health insurance and those who receive coverage through their employers are taxed equally. John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, said, "This isn't just a savings account. It's self-insurance for health care" (Bloomberg/Winston-Salem Journal, 3/3).
    March 3, 2006
    Source: KaiserNetwork.org

  • Citizens Health Care Working Group Survey
    Congress has created a national forum to elicit citizens’ thoughts about how we should reform America’s health care system. And the voices of health professionals needs to be heard!
          This is not “just another opinion poll” or one of those “endless discussions that never seem to change anything.” The Citizens' Health Care Working Group is mandated by Congress to hold a series of community meetings around the country to hear what you think. “It is a chance for every citizen to shape national policy: to get the facts, weigh the tradeoffs, and tell the President and Congress exactly how you want your health care system to change.” The survey is available at http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov/
    February 2006
    Source: Citizens Health Care Working Group

  • Employee Compensation: Employer Spending on Benefits Has Grown Faster Than Wages, Due Largely to Rising Costs for Health Insurance and Retirement
    The report examines federal data on private employers' costs for active workers, finding that the average real cost of total compensation grew by 12% between 1991 and 2005. That increase is mostly because of increases in health insurance and retirement income costs, according to the report (GAO, "Employee Compensation: Employer Spending on Benefits Has Grown Faster Than Wages, Due Largely to Rising Costs for Health Insurance and Retirement," February 2006).
    February 2006
    Source: Government Accountability Office

  • Tax Credit Proposal Could Help Address U.S. 'Health Care Crisis,' American Medical Association President Says
    A proposal that provides tax credits to help U.S. residents purchase health insurance could help address the "health care crisis," American Medical Association President J. Edward Hill told a group of physicians in Volusia County, Fla., on Tuesday, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. In a speech to members of the Volusia County Medical Society, Hill said, "The presidential candidate who can convince the public that he or she can solve the health care crisis will win the next election. Middle-class America is in pain from the cost of medical care and they aren't going to take it much longer." He said that AMA supports a proposal that "gives tax credits inversely related to income -- the less money you make the more credit you get to purchase medical insurance." In addition, Hill said that, although the Medicare prescription drug benefit was established by "imperfect legislation," the program has "helped more people than it hurt." According to Hill, the main problems with the Medicare prescription drug benefit are the use of the Internet in enrollment and the large number of plans from which beneficiaries can select. He added, "I don't think there's much competition -- people are struggling to find out which drug plan has their drugs on it" (Geggis, Daytona Beach News-Journal, 2/22).
    February 22, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • A Second Opinion on the President's Prescription
    Since his State of the Union address, President Bush has continued his campaign for health savings accounts (HSAs), which he argues will expand insurance coverage and contain health care spending by enabling people to put money into tax-free accounts to cover medical expenses.
          In a new commentary on The Commonwealth Fund's Web site, James J. Mongan, M.D., president and CEO of Partners HealthCare, offers his views on the Administration's proposal. Mongan points out that taxpayers would only be eligible for HSAs if they and their employers traded in comprehensive health care policies for cheaper policies with high deductibles.
    February 17, 2006
    Source: The Commonwealth Fund

  • Study: Growth in out-of-pocket health spending exceeds income growth
    Out-of-pocket spending on medical care increased 35% from 1996-2002, surpassing a 20% increase in average family income, according to a study released today by the Commonwealth Fund. By 2002, nearly one in four U.S. families faced out-of-pocket medical costs equal to 10% or more of their income, or 5%-10% of their income if earning less than $36,200, the study found. Out-of-pocket costs included health insurance deductibles, co-payments, premiums and other medical costs. Excluding premiums, 15% of families faced out-of-pocket medical costs equal to 5%-10% or more of their income in 2001-02, up from 12% of families in 1996-97. “While changing incentives for consumers may play some part in the solution to growing health care costs, it is also vital to assure that the most vulnerable families are adequately protected against the risk of unsustainable medical bills,” the authors conclude.
    February 2006
    Source: Commonwealth Fund

  • Some States Consider Legislation To Encourage Increased Use of HSAs
    Some states recently have enacted or considered legislation to encourage increased use of health savings accounts to help reduce health care costs, CongressDaily reports
    February 13, 2006
    Source: Kaisernetwork.org

  • AHIP estimates 3 million Americans enrolled in health savings accounts
    At least three million Americans are enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans offered in conjunction with health savings accounts, according to the latest survey by America’s Health Insurance Plans. That’s up from just over one million enrollees 10 months ago, based on the preliminary data from AHIP-member companies. AHIP said companies also are offering HSAs in more markets and to a wider array of large group, small group and individual customers. HSAs became available to consumers and employers in January 2004 under the Medicare Modernization Act.
    January 26, 2006
    Source: America's Health Insurance Plans

  • State of the States Report on Health Coverage Expansion Initiatives Now Available
    The State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) annual year-in-review report that tracks state progress to expand health insurance coverage is now available! State of the States 2006: Finding Their Own Way looks at the innovative efforts states have made to expand coverage amidst growing health care costs, and looks ahead to what challenges might arise in the coming year.
    Jan 20, 2006
    Source: State Coverage Initiatives Program

  • Wall Street Journal Examines Some Employers' Move To Offer More Limited Health Plans
    With rising health costs, "mini-medical" or "limited-benefit" plans that cover only routine physician visits and offer little to no coverage for hospitalization or emergency care have become popular options for some U.S. companies as an alternative to more comprehensive plans, the Wall Street Journal reports.
    Jan 17, 2006
    Source: Kaiser Network Daily Reports

  • Survey examines health coverage problems of working Americans over 50
    Costly and unstable health insurance coverage is creating barriers to needed care for baby boomers, more than half of whom have chronic medical conditions, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund. One-fifth of workers over 50 and their spouses are uninsured or were uninsured for a time since turning 50, based on the survey of U.S. adults age 50-70. In addition, many who are insured have health plans that do not provide adequate protection from out-of-pocket costs, the study found. More than half of those with incomes below $40,000 and 42% with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000 said they were worried about being able to afford health insurance. More than two-fifths of respondents with family incomes under $25,000 and 30% of those earning $25,000-$60,000 had not seen a doctor, filled a prescription, or pursued a recommended medical test or treatment in the past year because of cost.
    January 6, 2006
    Source: Commonwealth Fund

  • Medicaid/ SCHIP Cuts and Emergency Department Use (paid subscription required)
    January 2006
    Source: Health Affairs

  • New Brief Examines the Coverage Implications of a Loss of Public Health Coverage
    A new KCMU policy brief examines the share of current enrollees in public programs who would have other coverage options if public coverage were no longer available. The authors estimate that no more than 9 percent of currently enrolled low-income adults would have access to an alternative source of insurance in the absence of public coverage. This research suggests that cutbacks in eligibility for public programs, particularly for those with the lowest incomes, would likely leave most of those affected uninsured.
    January 2006
    Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Last Updated on January 30, 2007