Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Ohio Health Care Reform Proposed

Lamaker unveils proposal after statewide hearings

By Marc Kilmer

Categories: Insurance Regulation, Ohio

Ohio state Representative Jim Raussen unveiled a health care reform blueprint yesterday. His plan was developed after statewide hearings last year that heard from a variety of interest groups on how the health care system should be changed.Here are the key parts of the plan, as listed by the Dayton Business Journal:

Extending family coverage eligibility for children to age 29 from age 22.

Work to re-insure claims for individuals who fit into high-risk categories.

Providing tax credits, $2,500 for an individual and $4,000 per family, to households not on Medicaid but below the federal poverty level - $21,200 for a family of four - to purchase insurance.

Mandating increases in nursing staff salaries at state colleges and universities and placing a two-year moratorium on departmental cuts.

Requiring the Ohio Department of Education to tighten rules on nutrition and pricing for K-12 schools and remove trans-fat ingredients from meal offerings.

Creating a discount program through the Bureau of Workers' Compensation for employers that incorporate physician-directed wellness plans.

Requiring hospitals to disclose tax liability as compared to charitable care online.

There doesn't seem to be anything too innovative, but nothing too harmful, either. Yes, the trans-fat ban is silly, but at least he didn't push for a statewide ban on trans-fat for businesses. I don't like the mandate that parents' insurance continue to cover "children" up to age 29, but that seems to be a popular idea to cover those darn irresponsible kids.

The idea to have the state issue re-insurance so people with chronic conditions can obtain private insurance is something that intrigues me. While I don't necessarily like the idea of the government getting involved in this area, it seems it may be the best way to correct what certainly appears to be a market failure. I haven't looked into this issue too much, but does anyone know of any good research on states that have tried this approach?