Thursday, May 15, 2008

DC Universal Health Plan "Isn't Financially Sustainable"

City vows to press on anyway

By Marc Kilmer

I had previously written about efforts to enact a universal health care plan in Washington, D.C. The plan would be funded by increasing taxes on HMOs, tobacco, and health insurance premiums and would also receive money from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Now, however, it appears that CareFirst is questioning the government's numbers. The city says it would take $55 million to provide coverage. CareFirst, perhaps looking at other health care expansions around the nation, says that is probably too low.

Not deterred, the city is pressing forward. Ben Young, the chief of staff for the councilman pushing this plan, does not seem too concerned about the fundng numbers: "Young said the D.C. Council could still pass legislation to offer health care coverage for the residents and work out how to pay for it and manage it at a later time."

Doesn't that sentence neatly sum up the problems of "universal health care"?