Panel calls for affordable insurance for all
18 04 08 - 14:26
State lawmakers lay out the reforms they say are needed to cover Utahns
By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune
State lawmakers in charge of health care reform said they aren't interested in incremental steps, industry executives and advocates who want to protect their turf, or "cry babies."
In the state's inaugural health care task force meeting Thursday, lawmakers explained their expectations for major reform that will rein in costs, make health care more affordable and boost access to insurance. While the group received nearly a quarter of its 2006 campaign donations from insurance companies, hospitals and other medical groups, members vowed there would be no sacred cows.
"Everybody's ox is going to get gored," said Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights. "I'm not really interested in cry babies. I don't want conversations in the hall where people are telling me why this is stupid or that is stupid."
And Rep. David Clark, R-Santa Clara, the task force's co-chairman, rhetorically told insurance companies, hospitals, businesses, doctors and patients: "If we expect the system to change, my first question is: 'What is it you're willing to give up?' If you are unwilling to change, I hope this is your last meeting. I will uninvite you."
After the meeting, Clark said hospitals and doctors may have to give up flexibility in how they treat patients in order to follow "best practices" in medicine. And insurance companies may find themselves in greater competition for patients.
Task force members must develop a reform plan by the end of November. Over the next seven months, the group will study 16 items, including: considering mandates on individuals to get insurance; taxing hospitals, doctors and insurance companies to subsidize private insurance; and changing insurance companies' rating practices.
While the ultimate goal may be increasing access to health insurance - 287,200 Utahns, or 10.6 percent, had no insurance in 2007 - the group said it wants to focus first on reducing costs.
To that end, Clark said he will consider the task force an initial success if it tackles three issues this year:
* Shedding light on doctor and hospital costs as well as insurance companies' denial rates and length of time they take to pay claims. Such transparency is supposed to reduce costs.
* Defining what an affordable insurance plan costs and looks like.
* Making sure insurance plans are portable from job to job.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. agrees with those priorities, but he also emphasized access. "We must find a way to ensure everyone has health insurance," said John Nielsen, the governor's health care reform adviser. Huntsman didn't attend because he is recovering from shoulder surgery.
Nielsen also said the current system is fundamentally flawed when sick Utahns are considered uninsurable by commercial companies. "This has to change."
The state will be developing a universal application for insurance so that individuals don't have to separately apply to each company. In addition to applying for coverage for spouses, Rep. Jackie Biskup-ski, D-Salt Lake City, suggested the application allow Utahns to apply for coverage for their "adult designees," which would include siblings, parents or domestic partners. Insurance companies would then compete for their business.
"If we're going to do reform, can we be innovative enough to be cost-effective and insure more people?" Biskupski said.
The group didn't take any action Thursday. In its May meeting, lawmakers will likely vote on whether to change state law to give preferences to certain contractors who provide their employees with health insurance.