Universal individual health insurance california?

2008-04-07 12:47:35

( Health )



Have you been looking for health insurance san diego, or maybe cal health insurance. If you need individual health insurance california, there is good news for you. For you who seek individual health insurance california there is a new proposal for coverage for the uninsured living in california.

California is about to achieve near-universal coverage in about 2 years time. How have they done this? By requesting contributions from employers, individuals, government as well as health providers.

The proposal provides a blueprint for coverage for 85% of california’s over 5 million uninsured.

What is included in this plan for individual health insurance california? Mandated coverage for anyone who files state income taxes. But not only this – also premium subsidies for you if you are a low-income resident. How would it be financed? By extending the sales tax of the state to health care providers:
- by imposing a payroll tax on the employers who don’t offer coverage
- by using federal matching funds.

This plan has been applauded for its clear presentations of difficult trade-offs and alternatives.

What about consumer decision making as it relates to the market of individual health insurance?

It has been suggested that the individual insurance market should be used to help in the expansion of coverage for the uninsured. Who makes up the individual health insurance market? About 9% of californians who are uninsured – comprising of families and individuals who pay their own insurance – the reason usually being that group coverage isn’t available to them.

There are certain advantages to individual coverage – a wider choice of portability and products. But there are also inherent limitations. For example: often underwriting is designed in such a way that individuals whose expected costs are high cannot enroll. Or alternatively they are charged more than healthier applicants. The result? Individual coverage is neither affordable nor accessible to you if you have high health risks.

What would the impact on the individual market be if the cost of premiums were subsidized?

In fact price subsidies would only have a modest impact in overall participation in this market.

A 20% premium subsidy results in –
- a 5-11% increase in subscribers
- a 1-3% decrease in uninsured members.


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