Colorado HB 1293: “The Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act”
March 12th, 2009 | by Brian Schwartz |This sounds like a way to get you to pay for other people’s health care, and not address the real problems of high medical and insurance costs.
From the Denver Daily News:
The Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act (CHAA), introduced last week as House Bill 1293 seeks to provide health coverage for up to 100,000 underinsured and uninsured Coloradans, as well as attempt to stop the rollover costs placed on small businesses and the privately insured who pay costs resulting from uncompensated care by hospitals that treat the underinsured and uninsured. …
When Gov. Bill Ritter announced the CHAA on Feb. 26, he called it “fiscally responsible,” saying it would not require general fund expense. Ritter explained the legislation would generate an additional $600 million per year, matched by federal funds, by assessing a provider fee on hospitals.
First, the cost-shift from Medicare and Medicaid are more than the cost-shift from the uninsured. See here, here, and here. Second, who pays the “provider fee on hospitals”? As I understand it, the hospitals pass on that cost the the patients, either directly, or through higher insurance premiums.
Also, if some people are “underinsured,” which I grant is possible, then there must be possible to be over-insured, right?
Instead of more government reforms, how about addressing the real cause; government intervention in medicine and insurance (see here and the posts on the right side bar).
(via Ari Armstrong)
tags: Colorado HB 1293, Colorado health care, cost-shift, Morgan Carroll, uninsured
