AHIP says access is dominant issue in ‘07

March 2007

Broader health care access will dominate state and local agendas in 2007 and beyond, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) predicts. AHIP says as many as 25 states, including Indiana, are examining ways in which health care access can be expanded to reach more of the nation’s uninsured. AHIP supports phasing in universal health care coverage for Americans over a 10 year period, and supports federal grants to assist states in developing health care programs. Nine major principles should guide the development of such programs, AHIP believes, including:

1. States should provide coverage through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (known as Hoosier Healthwise in Indiana) for low-income people, at a minimum level of 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) for adults, and 200 percent of the FPL for children.
2. States should leverage resources for health insurance coverage using federal sources of funding.
3. States should study the cost of uninsured coverage and payment shortfalls faced by consumers, purchasers, and health care providers. Further, states should study whether consumers and purchases are paying higher premiums because of cost-shifting to private-sector payers.
4. States should create incentives to build on employer-based health insurance systems, and encourage individuals to purchase coverage. A tax credit should be provided for individuals and employers to help offset the cost of purchasing coverage.
5. States should address “medically uninsurable” populations by establishing high-risk pools and assure that they are funded through a broad base of funding sources.
6. States should provide regulatory flexibility so health insurance plans can offer a wide variety of affordable products to consumers.
7. Health plans should work with states to enact policies that speed up the timeline for making health care plans available and affordable.
8. States should avoid costly administrative processes by maximizing existing state agencies and private market mechanisms.
9. States should support efforts to develop uniform measurements for quality, and assist in making quality information readily available to consumers.