We all have a stake in covering the uninsured

The nation this week is seeing an unprecedented collaborative effort to make more Americans aware of a significant problem in our health care system. Today, more than 41 million Americans do not have coverage for health care. Here in Maine, approximately 11.2 percent of all residents are counted among the uninsured.

Providing health care to the uninsured is a dilemma that many have been attempting to address. For the most part, however, these efforts have been fragmented. Now, under the leadership of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, organizations representing health care consumers, physicians, hospitals, organized labor, religious leaders, business, government and health insurers such as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, will work together to seek solutions during Cover the Uninsured Week.

As Maine’s leading health benefits company, we share the common belief of all of the groups sponsoring and supporting this effort: Every American deserves access to affordable, quality health care.

But the fact is that the number of uninsured Americans remains high and the cost of health care keeps increasing, making it very clear that fixing the problem requires a much larger effort than one week’s worth of activities can provide.

By joining together in this unique observance, however, all of us are acknowledging that providing all Americans with access to health care is everybody’s problem. Cover the Uninsured Week is not about finger-pointing and fixing blame; it is about representatives of diverse interests and viewpoints recognizing that we all have a stake in the outcome, and we all have a role to play in the solution.

One thing is clear: There is no magic solution – no “silver bullet” – for this problem. The reality is that the more than 41 million Americans without health coverage do not fit neatly into any one mold. Many of them – perhaps as many as 15 million – are eligible for federal and state programs, but for a variety of reasons have not taken advantage of them. Many others are not chronically uninsured, but rather temporarily without coverage. Millions of others – most of them young and healthy – are uninsured by choice. Each of these groups has different needs and each requires a different solution.

As we work together to address the issue of the uninsured, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield believes that some basic principles should guide the discussion:

?Tax policy should be used to encourage the purchase of private health care coverage by businesses and individuals.

For example, making health insurance premiums fully tax deductible for employers and individuals will help millions of Americans maintain health insurance coverage, and encourage those who have voluntarily opted out of the health insurance system to enter the market.

?For the chronically uninsured, government should provide the “safety net” that ensures everyone who needs it can obtain health care.

But it is essential that those who are eligible for these programs, most notably children of the economically disadvantaged, take advantage of them. Parents often fail to enroll children in health insurance programs that are available at no charge because they are unaware of the programs or overwhelmed by the bureaucracy of the enrollment process. Public education programs that reach out to the poor can dramatically reduce the number of uninsured.

?A private health care benefits system offers the best hope of expanding coverage to millions more Americans.

The private sector health benefits industry has significant experience in administering and delivering health care and health care benefits. Private sector administrative efficiencies and expertise provide the best chance of offering more Americans access to affordable, quality health care.

Health benefit companies are developing affordable, innovative new products that provide more benefit and price choices, allowing more employers to offer health benefits to their employees. At Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, for example, we are developing new products that provide greater choice and flexibility. Our industry cannot do this alone, however. The federal government and the 50 states must join us in this effort by rethinking overregulation (such as the growing number of coverage mandates) that drives up the cost of benefits.

Most importantly, we must all participate in the dialogue around this issue. Cover the Uninsured Week is a good start toward bringing those holding diverse viewpoints to the table. But when this week is over, we will need to continue the dialogue – and the spirit of cooperation – if we hope to find long-term solutions to the problems in our health care system.

Jim Parker is vice president and general manager of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.