s1955 Moves Forward

Yesterday, the senate agreed to debate the Enzi Bill, aka Senate 1955, aka The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act.

Today, I read an article that clearly leans in favor of the bill. According to this article, opponents with something to gain by keeping things status quo (um, yeah, I have something to gain!) are resorting to 'scare tactics' to drum up opposition to the bill.

Well, as I've mentioned, s1955 *does* scare me. But not because someone looking to make a buck has waved the Boogie Man in front of me. I am scared because I know the value of diabetes education, frequent blood glucose monitoring, contraception, and cancer screenings, among other things. And I also know that, under our current health care system, I cannot afford these things unassisted.

A note on contraception, by the way: It wasn't covered by most insurance companies until states mandated coverage. Now, at the same time that the CDC is urging women to not get pregnant unless they are receiving good preconception care, the Senate is tinkering with allowing insurance companies to drop coverage of contraception. Sort of like the fact that at the same time that we are recognizing the national health and financial crisis that is diabetes, the Senate is not expanding or even protecting the tools that people with diabetes need. See why I just want to scream about all of this?

The article I read this morning ends with, "A report prepared by the Milwaukee firm of Mercer Oliver Wyman, Inc. for the National Small Business Association found that the Enzi-Nelson-Burns bill would reduce health insurance costs for small business by 12 percent. In today’s dollars - about $1,000 per employee; and, would reduce the number of uninsured in working families by 8 percent - or approximately 1 million people." (Note: I've read that there are 46 million uninsured people who need coverage.)

To that, I say this: OF COURSE IT WILL. But not because the bill mandates coverage, because the bill allows for the removal of state-guaranteed coverage. A health insurance plan doesn't cover illness is bound to cost less! It's like looking at a group of people on a bitter cold day, some of whom have coats, and saying: well, we all need coats so let's cut up the ones we have and everybody gets a piece. That way, everyone freezes.

What we need is more coats, more coverage, more affordable health care. This won't get us there.

Gutting the insurance regulations of 45 states is not the way to reduce costs and expand coverage.

Oppose s1955.