| The latest news from and for state health care advocates |
January 2010 |
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In This Issue:
Buzz around the States
UHCAN Ohio ends doubts about the prospect of reform after the Massachusetts Senate race with a press statement and an e-mail alert to their network.
Washington CAN fights budget cuts with a sign-on letter and MLK lobby day.
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families enlists people to help pass quality and improvement ratings.
Oregonians for Working Families mount a tax campaign for their upcoming legislative session.
Maine Women’s Lobby is promoting paid sick days for all in 2010.
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States in Focus
State Private Market Reforms in 2009: A Busy Year
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States continue to make strides in reforming their consumer protection laws and expanding coverage to their residents. With 2010 bringing national health care reform to the states for implementation, opportunities for states will continue to grow.
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Health advocates across the country have been fighting for comprehensive health care reform as a full-time job (even if they don’t get paid to do it) for over a year. In addition to a massive federal campaign, they still made time to improve health insurance markets at state level— laying the groundwork for the federal reform implementation in the year to come. Before we forge ahead in the new year, now is a good time to look back at 2009 and highlight the progress many states have made.
- Wisconsin improved health insurance regulations in the individual market during the state budget process. Wisconsin advocates played a huge role in securing these new regulations that include: requiring insurers to report how many individual policies they sell and rescind each year, limiting how far back an insurer can look into individuals’ medical histories for pre-existing conditions to 12 months, and establishing an independent review board to examine cases in which insurers deny individuals’ medical claims or rescind their coverage altogether, giving consumers a new right to external appeals. In addition, the Wisconsin legislature took a giant step forward for young adults, passing a law that allows them to remain on their parents’ coverage until age 27.
- New York advocates pushed for a set of insurance reforms to increase consumer protections, and as a result, three new reforms went into effect September 1. One law allows unmarried children to remain on their parents’ group health insurance coverage up to age 29. A second newly enacted law toughens medical loss ratio requirements for insurers and HMOs. They must now try to locate and pay dividends or credits to former policy holders if the companies fail to meet set medical loss ratio requirements. A third law allows some laid-off New York workers to keep COBRA coverage for up to 36 months.
- California prohibited gender rating, enacting a law that prohibits insurers from charging women higher premiums than men. Additionally, the governor signed a bill into law that limits the time frame that insurers can rescind, cancel, or limit individual health insurance policies based on instances of fraud to two years after a policy is issued. Health Access California lists their priorities and successes here.
These states are only a sprinkling of the great expansion work done in the states this year. Illinois improved transparency laws and Connecticut passed comprehensive reforms. These reforms, which passed in the midst of state budget crises and the protests of tea baggers, are a testament to state advocates and legislatures!
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Whether you are new to health care advocacy or been working at it for decades, the Families USA Health Action Conference is the central meeting place for hundreds of consumer advocates from across the country. This year’s meeting will focus on the challenges of implementing sweeping health care reforms. If you can’t make it to the conference, check out the conference Web page for videos, presentations, and other materials at www.healthaction2010.org.
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From Louisiana to D.C. and Back Again: A State Advocate’s Perspective on Health Action
The following article was written by Moriba Karamoko of the Louisiana Consumer Healthcare Coalition. Moriba was a first-time conference attendee last year and writes about his experience and why he is returning for another great year at Health Action 2010.
The Health Action conference affords me an opportunity for learning and networking that is unmatched by most conferences I have an opportunity to attend as a consumer health advocate.
It is an effective professional development opportunity and an outstanding networking event.
As a first-time conference attendee last year, I got a lot of really useful information. For instance, the outstanding plenary sessions with Atul Gawande and Steve Hildebrand were very informative. As a new consumer health advocate, Gawande’s talk helped me understand the history of health care reform from a global perspective and how the U.S. will find its own unique path to universal coverage. Likewise, Hildebrand provided a cogent analysis of how state-level consumer advocates needed to broaden their coalitions to be effective players in the fight for national health care reform. The workshops on e-advocacy and effective messaging were also very helpful in helping me to develop new and better messaging and online organizing tactics.
This year, I am attending the conference again to learn from and participate in the conversations about state-level implementation of national reform. I expect the conference in general, and the implementation sessions in particular, to help prepare our organization for effective messaging and strategic advocacy as well as for speedy, effective state-level implementation of health reform. Finally, I am also attending for the outstanding opportunity to network with other advocates from across the country.
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Legislation to stop all or pieces of health care reform in individual states has already started in states across the country. But advocates are already proving that these claims, while many have gained some partisan support, are purely political and hold little legal or constitutional merit.
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States Efforts to Block Health Care Reform Already Underway
Before federal health care even makes its way through Congress and to the President’s desk, the opposition is already searching for ways to circumvent federal reforms during implementation. This is nothing new. At the same time health care advocates have been fighting for more affordable and secure health care for all, opponents of reform have been spreading rumors and misleading people about the health care bills. The next phase of their political games is now beginning to take shape—this time in state legislatures. Nineteen states have filed legislation to block parts of federal reform, another 11 states have declared their intention, and Arizona will vote on a ballot initiative in 2010.
Florida
The Florida legislation to declare health reform unconstitutional has gained widespread support within the state legislature. Advocates mainly fear the public response to this amendment rather than any real legal challenges. With a high profile Gubernatorial and Senate race right around the corner, the premature attacks on health care reform serve as perfect talking points for the Right.
Georgia
State Senator Harp has introduced a bill to amend the Georgia Constitution allowing the state to opt-out of health care reform. Cindy Zeldin, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, says that the main challenge for Georgia advocates will be to clear up the confusion that Senator Harp and others’ rhetoric has created. Their arguments against the constitutionality of the bill are based in politics, not reality, but the messaging and media coverage surrounding them could have a negative affect on advocates’ efforts to implement reform.
Utah
Advocates in Utah are taking this challenge head-on. Lincoln Nearing, with the Utah Health Policy Project, wrote a terrific analysis outlining the truth about claims of unconstitutionality. He debunks these claims by explaining the powers of Congress, and also the reforms being challenged. By putting this analysis out early, the Utah Health Policy Project, is getting a head start on combating negative messaging and laying the groundwork for a good public education campaign on health reform.
All of these states have one thing in common: The opposition is attempting to use reform for their own political gain. While the substance of their attacks is minimal, the political power they stand to gain is substantial. It is important to keep their efforts in mind as we prepare to educate the public about not only what is in health care reform, but also the lack of truth behind some of their claims.
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The fight for comprehensive health care reform has gone on longer than many had first anticipated. And for over a year now, there has been a high level of activity across the country in support of reform. Activists have called and called and called Congress. If they have been to one event, they have been to fifty. They are tired. But it is now, at this point deep into the battle, that we are facing our toughest challenges yet. NOW is the time when we need the loudest voices for reform. So play on the anger and frustration we all feel after Massachusetts to get one last burst of energy for reform. Now is the time—sign onto this letter telling Congress move forward and pass comprehensive reform now.
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New Resources from Families USA and Stand Up for Health Care
Contributing authors: Zoe Bendixen, Lydia Gottesfeld, Moriba Karamoko
What would you like to see in the State Health Beat? Contact Lydia Gottesfeld to share your thoughts and opinions.
