LAT: Without federal guidance, States Make Own Plans for Health Insurance

[DeepModem Mom]

States Make Own Plans for Health Insurance
Without federal guidance, legislatures try different fixes for a national problem.
By Elizabeth Mehren, Times Staff Writer
June 25, 2006

Nearly 46 million people in America lack health insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the cost to the country adds up to tens of billions of dollars.

Directly or indirectly, the states pick up much of this tab. Uninsured individuals flood state-subsidized clinics and emergency rooms. States also bear the treatment costs for chronic illness among the uninsured. And a population that is not well cannot function to full capacity, hampering a state's productivity.

The issue is so pressing that in the last two legislative sessions, more than a dozen states have moved to overhaul coverage for those without health insurance. In the absence of federal policy or Washington leadership ready to take on the issue, more states are making the uninsured a priority.

Late last month, Vermont became the third state to approve near-universal health insurance....Vermont Secretary of Administration Michael K. Smith said a single imperative propelled this cumbersome process: "We all agreed that if we didn't start curbing these costs, we were going to be broke."

The Vermont experience reflects a growing national trend, said healthcare analyst Laura Tobler of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "States are moving ahead with reform because there is no momentum at the national level."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-insure25jun25,0,7473803.story?coll=la-home-nation

[catmother]

1. we might just have to take this matter into our own (the state's)

hands.

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. A lot of conservatives miss the link

between the escalating cost of healthcare and the growing number on uninsured. They think it saves money if these people just get sick and die without insurance. It doesn't work that way - untreated illness drags down the entire economy and escalates costs by neglecting inexpensive preventative treatments that would avoid the extreme costs of emergency and long-term care. This is one of the reasons why other countries provide better care for less money.