State gauges sentiment on universal health coverage. (HMO Backlash--Seeking Alternatives).As employers scramble to find ways to cut health care costs by trying new plans offered by insurers, there's a little-known state effort that could lead to far more radical change. Nine proposals to achieve universal health care coverage, solicited by the California Health and Human Services Noun 1. Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Agency under a 1999 state law, have been developed and presented at public hearings across the state. The proposals range from incremental Additional or increased growth, bulk, quantity, number, or value; enlarged. Incremental cost is additional or increased cost of an item or service apart from its actual cost. plans calling for expansion of public programs, to business subsidies to schemes that revive the concept of a "single payer" system, in which a single state-administered fund would pay for all health care. There's even a plan to develop a British-style health system in which the state provides nearly all care through the employment of doctors and operation of hospitals. With the defeat of Proposition 186, the 1994 statewide ballot initiative that would have created a single-payer system single-payer system Health reform Social medicine, in which all medical services are paid by a single reimbursement agency. See Canadian plan, Clinton Plan, Managed care, Socialized medicine. , the hearings now being conducted for the Health Care Options Project have generated little public debate. But elements of the plans are being looked at. There's a proposal calling for a state and privately-funded subsidy that would assist small businesses in purchasing health care coverage through PacAdvantage, a non-profit purchasing pool. "This is a legitimate incremental step," said John Grgurina, executive of PacAdvantage, which offers health coverage to 150,000 enrollees. "Why can't we help get some of the small employers to put some of their money on the table?" While PacAdvantage has not shopped around the proposal to legislators, Grgurina said he believes it may be accepted because it doesn't radically change things. He also noted that it's not envisioned as an entitlement program, since the subsidy would vary in response to available financial resources. Another proposal is based on a stalled but still active bill authored by Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Keith Richman Dr. Keith S. Richman is a California, United States, Republican politician. From 2001 to 2007, he served in the California State Assembly representing the 38th Assembly District based in Northwest Los Angeles County. , R-Granada Hills. It would create the California Health Care Program to administer expanded government coverage available to all persons with an income level under 250 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill stalled last year when the Davis Administration concluded that expanding government health coverage to all working poor would be too costly. Another proposal takes that concept even further by opening such a program to all legal residents of the state, with a share. of the funding paid by employers who do not offer health coverage -- a tab estimated to be $4.3 billion. State Sen. Jackie Speier Jackie Speier is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate who represented parts of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Early life Speier was born May 14, 1950 in San Francisco, California. She earned a B.A. , D-San Francisco, recently introduced a bill based on it. Small-business assistance Speier's proposal still awaits detailed language. However, the "Stepping Up to Universal Coverage" plan by E. Richard Brown Richard Brown can refer to:
UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX professor, and Richard Kronick, a colleague at the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). at San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , is well fleshed out. It is based on the premise that if everyone contributed their fair share to the health care system, there would be more than enough to cover the necessary funding. (Employers and employees each would bear a portion of a payroll tax Payroll Tax Tax an employer withholds and/or pays on behalf of their employees based on the wage or salary of the employee. In most countries, including the U.S., both state and federal authorities collect some form of payroll tax. if the employee is not covered not covered Health care adjective Referring to a procedure, test or other health service to which a policy holder or insurance beneficiary is not entitled under the terms of the policy or payment system–eg, Medicare. Cf Covered. under private insurance.) But existing contributors, such as businesses that already buy health insurance for their employees, would no longer have to subsidize through higher premiums those who don't pay. "We are going to eliminate the free rider Free rider A follower who avoids the cost and expense of finding the best course of action simply by mimicking the behavior of a leader who made these investments. ," said Brown, a professor at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Despite its seemingly onerous mandate that all businesses -- and even self-employed individuals -- pay into the system, Brown believes the proposal is politically feasible. It does not prohibit employers from continuing or seeking private insurance, and an analysis has found that firms that currently offer coverage would save $3.7 billion by having the free riders brought into the system. The hearings process will finish with a symposium on April 12 in Sacramento, when the final versions, as well as estimates of their costs, are presented. Lucien Wulsin Jr., co-author of a plan calling for increased public spending, employee credits and business tax breaks to improved coverage, said he has been disappointed with the lack of participation in the process by the medical community, insurers and labor. Even so, he said he is hopeful the final products will generate some movement toward solving the problem of the uninsured. "We will see if there is any momentum to get anything done," he said. RELATED ARTICLE: Universal Care Proposals submitted to the state to achieve universal health coverage. * The creation of a publicly funded agency that would take over all health care services from the private sector. * The establishment of a "single payer" system in which a state-managed insurance pool would pay for all coverage. * A proposal based on Assembly Bill 32 that would extend government health coverage to all working poor. * Broadening the AB32 concept to expand coverage to all adults, with much of the funding coming from a tax on businesses that do not provide insurance for employees. * Coverage for all non-elderly adults and their dependents through the creation of a state-sponsored network of medical providers. |
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