Overhaul Ohio Health Care…Can It Be Done?

President Obama wants to overhaul U.S. and Ohio health care. Can he do it? He took his first step by naming a University of North Dakota rural healthcare expert to lead the federal agency in charge of improving access to care in the United States.

Mary Wakefield was chosen to head the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. This agency will oversee the disbursement of $2.5 billion in the economic stimulus signed by President Obama. Ohio health care programs will likely see some of the money, but it may take quite a while to trickle down to the consumer.

The Ohio health care system faces a shortage of nurses and has many individuals and families without Ohio health insurance. Can Obama push through a bill in Congress ?

The Associated Press reports that President Obama plans to move quickly.

“They don’t intend to blink. They intend to plow ahead,” said health economist Len Nichols of the nonpartisan New America Foundation. “Health reform is seen as essential to balancing the federal budget and economic recovery in the long run.”

Ohio health care will change, but it will take time. Premiums will likely reduce, but the major Ohio health insurance companies, such as Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna and UnitedHealthCare, will still be able to offer a wide variety of policies.

Posted by edharris | General Insurance | Saturday 21 February 2009 4:52 pm

Ohio Health Care…Where Do We Go From Here?

Ohio Health Care

Ohio Health Care

 

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has stated that, by 2011, he hopes to reduce the number of uninsureds by 500,000. He also hopes to increase the number of Ohio small businesses that offer health insurance to their workers.

Generally, uninsured Ohioans:

·        Live in households with a full-time worker

·        Are high school graduates

·        Have been uninsured for more than one year

·        Live in urban areas

 

When compared to insured residents, uninsured Ohioans:

·        Are in poorer health

·        Receive less timely care

·        Receive less preventive and primary care

·        Are less productive

·        Have more medical debt

·        Are less productive and live shorter lives

So…without bankrupting the state and unnecessarily charging Ohio’s insureds, what can be done?

 

 

Ohio health care coverage for uninsured residents must focus on prevention, continuity of care, and ease of use. Ohio’s existing public and private health care systems should be the backbone of the reform. Major health insurance companies should remain an integral part of the solution…not just brushed aside.

Some guiding principles that reflect Governor Strickland’s goal of reducing the number of Ohio uninsureds are:

·        We all must take personal responsibility for reducing health care costs, which includes taking proactive actions to keep ourselves healthy.

·        Reforms must be sustainable in the long-term, and have a measurable impact.

·        All Ohioans, including people with serious health conditions, must have access to affordable health care.

·        Ohio health care coverage should include tools and techniques that allow its residents to maintain good health, and seek treatment, if needed, as quickly as possible.

One of the best ways to encourage Ohio’s uninsureds to obtain quality and affordable health care, is to provide tax credits for a portion of the premiums, and make preventative treatment a condition to continue those tax credits.

Perhaps, by 2011, such an initiative will become a reality. But don’t hold your breath.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Approximately 1.3 million Ohioans are without health insurance. Most of them do not have access to affordable Ohio health insurance plans. And more than likely, many are not receiving the appropriate medical treatment to maintain healthy lifestyles.

 

Posted by chumps10 | General Insurance | Sunday 18 January 2009 9:12 am