Newspapers recently reported on health care-related issues for 2007 in Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and New York. Summaries appear below.
Connecticut: Gov. Jodi Rell (R) on Dec. 27, 2006, unveiled a proposal that would create a health insurance plan with monthly premiums of no more than $250 to expand coverage to the state's estimated 400,000 uninsured residents, the Hartford Courant reports. Under the proposal, the state would work "with representatives of major managed care providers" to develop a basic health insurance plan for uninsured residents between ages 19 and 64 that includes full prescription drug benefits, laboratory services and pre and postnatal care, Rell said. Copayments for prescription drugs would be between $10 and $15, and diagnostic services would be available for 20% coinsurance. Other services would have copays less than the cost of regular office visits, according to Rell. Residents enrolled in the plan would be required to pay part of their emergency department costs if the visit was later determined to be unnecessary. The plan would have a maximum lifetime benefit of $1 million but no annual maximum. In addition, Rell proposed a two-month premium waiver for uninsured infants and a mandate that would require all parents of school-aged children to declare annually that their children have health insurance (Cohen, Hartford Courant, 12/28/06). Rell said the state would not contribute to the cost of the program but would provide marketing and advertising funding (Medina, New York Times, 12/28/06). State House Speaker James Amann (D) said he is developing a plan that would spend $20 million to provide health coverage to all uninsured children in the state and provide a low-cost health plan to uninsured residents that would have monthly premiums of between $3 and $500 based on income (Hartford Courant, 12/28/06).
Georgia: State lawmakers next week are expected to discuss how to "come up with tens of millions of dollars to sustain the state's current trauma care system" and encourage hospitals to participate in a network of trauma centers, as well as whether the state should change a rule that regulates where new hospitals are built, Morris News/Augusta Chronicle reports. A "certificate of need" enables the state to regulate the construction of new facilities in certain areas as a way to ensure that existing hospitals can survive by reducing competition. A state commission responsible for making changes to the program has recommended quicker certification, and most commission members support reducing the number of services subject to certification. Hospitals are expected to oppose any changes that "would allow private clinics to capture the most profitable medical procedures" and leave hospitals to provide less profitable services and care to those who cannot afford it (Eckenrode/Larrabee, Morris News/Augusta Chronicle, 1/2).
Louisiana: State officials are discussing which recommendations by the Louisiana Health Care Redesign Collaborative can be implemented without a federal waiver, but more extensive policy goals outlined by the collaborative likely will not be enacted "anytime soon," the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 12/25/06). The collaborative in October 2006 proposed a five-year plan for the New Orleans area to create a universal health system; establish a "medical home" network of physicians, medical clinics and hospitals; and reduce the region's reliance on the Charity Hospital System (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/24/06). HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt had set a Jan. 1 deadline for the state and federal government to develop a plan to insure at least 80% of New Orleans' uninsured population, but Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Fred Cerise said the state will not "have a waiver by the end of the year" to allow the changes to be made. Some changes outlined by the collaborative can be made without the waiver, such as expanding Medicaid coverage to all children and expanding income eligibility for disabled adults. The state also can encourage the use of electronic health records and establish new quality standards for health care providers who receive government funding. Cerise said state and federal officials are working to reach an agreement on a "common set of assumptions" of the cost of expanding health care coverage to the uninsured. State Senate Health and Welfare Committee Chair Joe McPherson (D) said he is developing his own plan to expand health coverage that includes setting quality standards and expanding the use of EHRs but that does not include the insurance subsidies supported by Leavitt (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 12/25/06).
Maryland: Several Maryland organizations, lawmakers and a government panel are drafting proposals to expand health insurance in the state this year, the Baltimore Sun reports. While the proposals differ in specifics, major portions -- including expanding Medicaid to cover more adults; helping small businesses finance health care coverage for employees through subsidies, tax breaks or by allowing businesses to form insurance pools to negotiate lower premiums; and requiring mandatory health insurance for all adults -- are similar. The groups are hoping that a consensus can be reached on which plan or combination of plans is right for the state. According to the Sun, "[m]ost supporters" of insurance expansion favor a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase to fund the proposals. "We're thrilled a consensus has developed that coverage must be expanded," Vincent DeMarco -- president of Maryland Citizens Health Initiative, which is developing a health care proposal -- said. DeMarco added, "Something's going to happen in the next session" (Salganik, Baltimore Sun, 1/1).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
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