Few Americans Would Sign Up For Public Health Insurance Plan
The New York Times: "More and more, the Great Health Care Debate of 2009 is a numbers game. And the longer the debate goes on, the squishier the numbers seem to get. For months, many leading Democrats, including President Obama, have pushed for the creation of a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers. A main argument was that a public plan would save people money. It would not be under pressure to earn profits, pay high private-sector salaries or deny needed care." After the release last Thursday of the House Democratic leaders' health care bill, the Congressional Budget Office said "the public plan would cost more than private plans and only six million people would sign up" (Herszenhorn, 11/1).
The Associated Press: Coverage numbers regarding the Democrats' legislative push "for a government insurance plan to compete with private carriers are finally in: Two percent. That's the estimated share of Americans younger than 65 who'd sign up for the public option plan." That statistic "is raising questions about whether the government plan will be the iron-fisted competitor that private insurers warn will shut them down or a niche operator that becomes a haven for patients with health insurance horror stories." The CBO also said the plan would likely attract a "less healthy pool of enrollees" and would likely have premiums higher than the average for private plans (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/1).
Kaiser Health News: The actual figure estimated to enroll in the public option would be about six million. "And that number could shrink because states may decide to opt out of a public insurance plan, an escape clause that's likely to be included in the Senate plan. ... The CBO reasoned that the plan may not be able to offer a price advantage — in part because the House bill requires a government-backed insurer to negotiate payment rates rather than dictate them to hospitals and doctors… If the number of people in the public plan turns out to be six million in 2019, that would work out to an average of 120,000 per state. But that number probably would be smaller in the smallest states, perhaps totaling just tens of thousands."
"Predicting the states' responses is tricky, even where Republicans and conservative Democrats predominate. Some say the consumer appeal of a public plan could trump criticism that government plans would eventually drive out competition and lead to the federalization of health care" (Pianin, Carey and Appleby, 11/1).
The Wall Street Journal reports that costs could be driven up in the public option because of increased utilization of services by public option enrollees and that the "payment rates the government negotiates with health-care providers would, on average, be comparable to those paid by private insurers, eliminating a cost-saving advantage many Democrats aimed to give the plan. The CBO says its findings aren't conclusive" (Adamy, 10/31).
(ArticlesBase SC #1448264)
Article Tags:
Public Health Insurance Plan
How to Use Health Insurance Health Savings Accounts
Learn how to use health insurance health savings accounts in this video with Bob Hurley from eHealth Insurance. (01:50)
How to Become Part of a Group Health Insurance Plan
Learn how to become part of a group health insurance plan in this video with Bob Hurley from eHealth Insurance. (01:27)
How to Get a Health Insurance Plan without an Insurance Broker
Learn how to get a health insurance plan without an insurance broker in this video with Bob Hurley from eHealth Insurance. (02:04)
How to Find Health Insurance Plans for Young Adults
Learn how to find health insurance plans for young adults in this video with Bob Hurley from eHealth Insurance. (02:55)
How to Review an Existing Health Insurance Plan
Learn how to review an existing health insurance plan in this video with Bob Hurley from eHealth Insurance. (02:26)
Furthermore special interest, egocentrism, selfishness and unquantifiable greediness have infected so many of us in this country that as long as we are deny the opportunity to make money or get credit even for legitimate reason or the sake of humanity, we are ready to go hell-wire in order to protect our comfort zone
The new CEO of insurer CIGNA claims that reform will not do enough to reduce the cost of a health insurance plan. What does he suggest instead?
Air ambulances are fast, reliable emergency transportation. They are also very expensive, and not fully covered by most health insurance plans. Why is this the case, and how can you protect yourself and you loved ones from crushing ambulance bills?
Health Insurance, popularly known as Medicash in India, offers protection in case of unexpected medical emergencies. In case of a sudden illness or accident, the medicash policy takes care of the hospitalization, medical tests and other costs incurred.
Many soon-to-be college students face the dilemma that they are no longer covered by their parent's health insurance policy. Usually they will have to pick up their own student health insurance plan if they're going to get any medical coverage. With that said, here are some important points to keep in mind.
Labor unions have been strong supporters of healthcare reform. With the public option health insurance plan eliminated from the bill, they are increasingly wary of agreeing to even more concessions.
The Public Health Insurance Option The afterward commodity lists some simple, advisory tips that will advice you accept a added acceptable acquaintance
Coventry Health Care is one of the nation's largest health care companies. They offer a wide range of fee-based health care products and insurance in all fifty states. In North Carolina, WellPath North Carolina is their subsidiary. However, the health insurance policies offered by WellPath North Carolina are underwritten by Coventry Health Care, so you can know they are reliable and trustworthy.
The state of Georgia has one of the highest unemployment rates in the United States. That is a lot of people who are currently without regular full-time salary. This number of people may also no longer get their health insurance Georgia benefits through their place of employment.
With all of the emphasis on the health care reform, there has also been talk about the Medicare federal program. A lot of people do not understand why they may need Medigap health insurance Georgia policies, if they have Medicare.
In order to get accurate apartment insurance quotes that you can count on and determine your choices through, you will want to think about exactly the types of coverage that you are after. Focus also on what it would cost you to replace all of your belongings and property.
When searching through apartment insurance companies, there are some things that you can have at the ready in order to make the quote process go much more smoothly and quickly for everybody.
There are many great reasons for opting to buy into apartment property insurance, not the least of which should be self protection and preservation of your investments and belongings. You can speak with your landlord regarding the type of policy that they have in place regarding the contents and property within the structures.
There are many apartment insurance solutions that you may have never considered, but there is no time like the present. As you may well know, the very worst surprises in life always tend to happen at the moments when we are unaware and unprotected, so keeping one step ahead of the race is always a great strategy.
The world is just full of surprises, some of them wonderful, and some of them not so great. If you have not talked to your landlord about the insurance policy that they currently have in place over the unit, apartment, or home that you are renting, you may want to do so before you are left to find out the hard way.
Iowa legislators should expect many more patients to sign up for a health care program for the poor if the state makes the program more convenient to use, a top administrator said Tuesday.
Budget woes continue to plague state government in Iowa. Due to the nation's economic recession, state revenues have declined and the Iowa Legislature and Gov.
If you watch late night or cable television, you may have seen the ads that say “health insurance at a low, affordable price.” If you are without health insurance
Forty thousand Kansas children depend on a state program for health insurance, but the state program is failing to do its job because of budget cuts.
Several insurance industry companies have pledged donations and other types of assistance following Haiti's worst earthquake in more than 200 years.
In what is believed to be a first for the health insurance industry, Blue Shield of California has launched an online ratings and review program that
The state’s largest physician organization has filed an appeal in Superior Court in New Britain, seeking to overturn the state Insurance Department’s recent approval of UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Health Net of the Northeast, in Shelton.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) has filed a lawsuit alleging that Health Net of Connecticut failed to properly secure patient information and
1