U.S. Universal Health Insurance
An Overview of State Approaches to Solving the Uninsured Problem
As millions of Americans go without health insurance, raising the costs of health care, several states have proposed reform, aiming to solve the uninsured problem.
As the number of uninsured Americans reached an all time high in 2005 (U.S. Census Bureau), several efforts to curb the number of citizens without health insurance have been taken at the state level. These near-universal coverage plans aspire to provide health insurance and services to the uninsured, at the same time, proposing to save money spent on healthcare.
Maine's Dirigo Health
Maine’s universal health care initiative, Dirigo Health, has not been as successful as first proposed. The recent reform signed into law in 2003, proposed to save the state money by increasing the number of insured people. This would lessen the strain on hospitals and charity funds, in turn lowering the cost to insurers. In reality, the state’s reform would take much more money to see a substantial change in the number of uninsured. The reforms aim to provide access to health care to all Maine citizens by 2009.
Required Health Insurance in Massachusetts
In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to pass a law requiring all citizens to have health insurance. Companies in the state will be required to have insurance for their employees by July 1, 2007. Those companies that do not comply will be faced with financial penalties. The state government will provide subsidies to low-income people to buy insurance. This legislation, like Maine’s, states that when more people are insured, the costs of healthcare go down, and employers will actually pay less. The law will be enacted over the next three years.
The Oregon Better Health Act
Perhaps the most progressive reform proposal comes from the state of Oregon. The Oregon Better Health Act proposes to ensure each citizen access to health services. It aims to reallocate federal and state funds, Medicare and Medicaid, to make services available to everyone. The act states that, “we cannot control cost unless we reevaluate the structure of our 50 year old federal financing and eligibility system.” Redesigning the healthcare system will lead to greater efficiency. The redesigned system would shift the focus of healthcare to prevention, giving incentives for healthy living. Focusing on prevention will in turn, save money over the long run. Former Oregon Governor, John Kitzhaber, who helped to redesign the state’s Oregon Health Plan in the mid-1990s, has pioneered the act, which began with the Archimedes Movement. The act is still preliminary, now named Senate Bill 27 in Oregon.
