Thursday, April 10, 2008

Government Insurance Expansion in Iowa 

Children insurance mandate not approved, slacker mandate is

By Marc Kilmer

Categories:  Insurance Regulation, Iowa, Medicaid, SCHIP

The goal of universal children's health coverage in Iowa moved one step closer to reality this week as the Iowa Senate approved legislation expanding its children's insurance program:

The main focus would be to cover more children under Hawk-I, a joint federal and state program for moderate-income families. The Senate bill would increase the income limit for a family of four from about $41,000 to about $62,000. It would spend about $5 million next year, and about $25 million annually by 2011.

The bill also included language forcing insurance companies to cover adult "children" on their parents' insurance but did not include a mandate that all children must be covered by some form of health insurance.

With the move to expand SCHIP stalled at the federal level, it seems activitists are focusing on expanding state programs to the maximum level allowable by HHS. Of course, HHS caps such expansions at 250% of the federal poverty level for the moment, but that could easily change with a new administration.

• posted by Marc Kilmer
• 10:47 am
• 0 comment

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Consequences of Mandatory Coverage 

Iowa Provides a Clue

By Greg Scandlen

Categories:  Individual Mandates, Insurance Regulation, Iowa

An op-ed by Adam Thompson in the Des Moines Register indicates that Iowa is close to passing an Obama-type mandate on children. The piece mentions that of Iowa’s 50,000 uninsured children, 27,000 are already eligible for “Hawk-I,” the state’s SCHIP program. One might think that such a rejection rate would be seen as a failure of state government, but, no, government is incapable of failure in some eyes. So this is a failure of parents, and now they must be mandated to enroll the kiddos, even if they think the program is useless.

And while we are mandating, we might as well hit the other 23,000 Iowa families as well. But, Mr. Thompson hesitates – “By itself, such a mandate would be problematic. It would be patently unfair and bad public policy to require low-income, uninsured families to purchase private insurance.” But the state Senate has come to the rescue. People will still be mandated, but they will only have to pay “an affordable percentage of income” as a premium. Problem solved!

Mr. Thompson also notes that this program is not the end. Indeed, it merely “lays the foundation for achieving quality and affordable health care for all Iowans.” Left unsaid is exactly who will pay the difference between the “affordable percentage of income” for some and the actual cost of providing the coverage. But the answer is implicit. Once everyone is mandated, and once we have killed off the idea of a premium bearing some relationship to the cost of coverage, what will stop us from requiring that higher-income people pay more than the cost of the coverage so that lower-income people can pay less?

Indeed, why stop at health insurance premiums? Is it “fair” that rich and poor both pay the same price for a loaf of bread or a gallon of gas? Of course not! No one should have to pay more than “an affordable percentage of income” for anything! And off we go to the Sovietization of the American economy.

Greg Scandlen 

• posted by Greg Scandlen
• 1:28 pm
• 0 comment

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Iowa Moving Towards Universal Coverage 

Fails to provide funds for the program, though

By Marc Kilmer

Categories:  Iowa, Medicaid, SCHIP

The Iowa House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of a plan to extend state insurance coverage to all children in the state by 2011. It is part of a plan to cover everyone in the state by 2013.

Of course, the Des Moines Register notes:

Lawmakers have not allocated money for the plan, however. Coverage will come about "as funding becomes available," according to language in the bill.

Considering this fact as well as the fact that the federal government is unlikely to approve federal funding for this plan, it seems pretty likely it's going nowhere.

• posted by Marc Kilmer
• 5:39 pm
• 2 comments

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Iowa Panel Pushing Universal Coverage 

Kids' care first step

By Marc Kilmer

Categories:  Iowa, Medicaid, SCHIP

In Iowa, the Legislative Commission on Affordable Health Care has recommended expanding the state program for children's health care by $20 million annually in the first step towards universal coverage. As the Chicago-Tribune story notes, "The panel encouraged lawmakers in the upcoming session to determine the cost of universal health care and identify potential funding sources."

Is Iowa next for Massachusetts-style mandates?

• posted by Marc Kilmer
• 2:04 pm
• 0 comment