New York has experienced a rapid increase in the number of people without health insurance. For the uninsured, particularly those suffering from chronic illnesses, the consequences can be devastating. However, there is hope: New York could create a health insurance exchange to enable those without health coverage and small businesses to purchase affordable, high quality insurance.
According to the U.S. Census, over 2.5 million New Yorkers are uninsured. The exchange would negotiate with health insurers to offer affordable, high quality insurance. The concept of a health exchange is not new. Massachusetts created one in 2006 and now more than 98 percent of its residents have health insurance coverage. The Massachusetts system was the model for the federal health care reform law. For those states that set up exchanges, the federal government will pick up the tab for start-up costs.
Fourteen states have already created exchanges, including most recently in Mississippi where the Republican insurance commissioner stated, "It's not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is a universal idea, and it has been around a long time.” In our neighboring state New Jersey, the legislature just passed an exchange bill and sent it to Gov. Chris Christie for his consideration.
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The main issue for the Senate is that an exchange “costs too much.” According to the Senate Majority Leader, “Federal health reforms could cost (New York) taxpayers more than $65 billion for the Medicaid portion alone.” That cost estimate is based on exaggerated figures from a think tank, The Cato Institute. One example of how the cost is inflated is that The Cato Institute averages “cost per enrollee” based on current spending and assumes cost will be the same for all new Medicaid enrollees. Studies have shown that those who are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid tend to be healthier and, once covered, cost less than those covered previously.
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Creation of an exchange is vitally important to the American Cancer Society because about 10 percent of all cancer patients lack health insurance when they are diagnosed. As a result, they may choose to delay treatment, thus facing more debilitating therapies later with dim prognoses. No one should have to choose between paying the rent and getting life-saving cancer treatment.
For the estimated 1 million New Yorkers who will get health insurance through the exchange, arguments don’t matter. They need coverage, not rhetoric. Action to create a health exchange is the first step of many that must be accomplished soon if the state will be ready to begin enrolling the uninsured and offer low-cost insurance for small businesses in 2014. The governor and Assembly have done their part. It’s time for the Senate to do its part and include the exchange in its final budget.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120325/OPINION/303250079/New-Yorkers-need-health-insurance-exchange
Hat Tip: LoHud.Com
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