Dying for Coverage

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According to “Dying for Coverage in Ohio,” a report recently released by Families USA, two working-age Ohioans die each day due to lack of health insurance.

That is because the uninsured often delay or forgo medical treatment, the report documents, and are far more likely to be diagnosed with diseases in advanced stages as they are unlikely get routine checkups, screenings or preventive care.

A national survey conduced in April by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found Americans saying that “making health care more affordable” should be the top priority to improve the current economic situation for the average American.

Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage (OCHC), a coalition of advocacy groups in which AARP plays a leading role, is urging state lawmakers to support proposals to make health coverage more available and affordable, as was recently recommended by stakeholders serving on an advisory committee to the governor’s State Coverage Initiative (SCI) team.

State regulations governing the private health insurance market fail to protect consumers, according to a Families USA report that OCHC released at a news briefing it conducted June 12.

State law fails to ensure affordable, adequate health care for consumers because it:
• Allows insurance companies to cherry-pick the healthiest consumers and exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions
• Has no limits on how much insurers can charge based on an individual’s health status
• Permits insurers to deny claims and revoke coverage without state advance review by alleging a pre-existing condition

Among the advisory panel’s recommendations to the SCI team that OCHC is urging legislators to adopt is prohibiting insurers from excluding coverage for specific health conditions. The advisory panel also proposed requiring Ohioans to purchase private insurance while offering subsidies for lower-income individuals and exempting those who can’t afford it.

The governor’s SCI team is expected to review the advisory committee’s recommendations and release a final report within a few weeks.

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The Time for Reform is Now
http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/articles/states/updates/OH_Update.pdf

California Adopts Paid Sick Leave
http://blog.griegolaw.com/category/new-laws/

Other Resources
Families USA
http://www.familiesusa.org

Ohio Department of Insurance
http://www.ohioinsurance.gov

AARP Ohio Health Care Reform Survey
http://www.aarp.org/research/health/carefinancing/oh_health_08.html

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org