We Need to Improve Access to Health Care in Virginia!

On July 25, VOP released a new report compiled by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, "Insuring Health or Ensuring Profit? -- A Snapshot of the Health Insurance Industry in the United States". The report looks at recent financial trends for major national health insurance companies, as well as subsidiaries of national and regional companies and independent insurers in 26 states, including Virginia. download a pdf copy

Everyone Must Have Access to Quality Affordable Health Care

• Forty-seven million Americans and one million Virginians do NOT have health insurance.
• About 75 percent of Virginia’s uninsured people work or live with someone who works full time – often for small businesses that can’t afford to provide health insurance.

Health Coverage Must Be Affordable

• Health care and health insurance are now unaffordable for many families, individuals and businesses.
• Premiums for family coverage have gone up 78 percent since 2001. Because many employers are shifting these higher costs to their workers, many low-income workers cannot afford health insurance that is offered to them.
• Even for people with health insurance, higher deductibles and co-payments have become obstacles to timely and appropriate care.

Health Coverage Must Be Comprehensive

• Health insurance must cover what people need to stay healthy and treat illnesses, injuries, chronic conditions and disabilities.
• Coverage must include parity for mental health, prescriptions, dental, hearing, vision, reproductive health care, rehabilitation, and some long-term care.
• Primary care, preventive care, health and nutrition education and choice in providers and treatment settings are essential.

Health Insurance Needs To Be Portable And Enrollment Should Be Simple

• People are reluctant to leave jobs or other situations for fear of losing health insurance.
• Many eligible people do not access already available public plans due to unnecessary procedures and documentation requirements.

The Health Safety Net (Medicaid) Must Be Preserved And Improved

• While Virginia’s Medicaid program provides quality coverage to over 700,000 low-income Virginians, there are still many thousands of very poor citizens who don’t qualify under Virginia’s particularly strict rules.
• For example, parents in a family of four can’t get Virginia Medicaid unless their countable income is under $6,000 per year! That’s the 6th lowest eligibility level in the entire country!
• Virginia can and should do much more to improve its Medicaid program:
• Virginia has the 9th highest per capita income in the U.S,
• But Virginia is ranked 48th for per capita Medicaid spending.
• Virginia is also ranked 50th (lowest) for federal grants received for programs such as Medicaid, meaning Virginians aren’t getting their money’s worth for the federal taxes we all pay!
• Virginia gets one federal dollar for every state dollar spent on Medicaid. Medicaid is a good investment and helps Virginia’s economy!

Government Must Be An Active Watchdog of the Health Care System To Ensure:

Strong Consumer Protections

• Prohibit practices such as using pre-existing conditions to deny coverage
• Create large groups to share costs more fairly
• Streamline insurance administration to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy

Equity in Health Care

• Eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and quality
• Eliminate discrimination based on diagnosis or condition

Cost Controls that Promote Quality

• Use standard claim forms throughout system
• Use mid-level providers
• Use less expensive medications whenever appropriate

For more information on health care reform:

Families USA
www.familiesusa.org

Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
www.kff.org/about/kcmu.cfm

Cover the Uninsured
http://covertheuninsured.org/about

Children’s Defense Fund
www.childrensdefense.org

AARP
www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail/

SEIU
www.americansforhealthcare.org

AFL-CIO
www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare

Data Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Governor’s Health Reform Commission