By in Rhode Island’s Future
 |
| Fitting the facts to suit her corporate sponsors |
Two single-payer advocacy groups,Rhode Island Chapters of Physicians for a
National Health Program (PNHP) and HealthCare-Now, have prepared a report that is highly critical of GovernorGina Raimondo’s Reinventing Medicaid initiative.
The PNHP/HCN-RI report
identifies five areas of concern and concludes that “Governor Raimondo has made
it impossible” to achieve the goal of developing “a plan to improve the quality
of care Rhode Islanders receive and reduce the costs for Rhode Island
taxpayers.”
The areas of concern cited in the analysis are:
1. presenting faulty and misleading data and analyses 2. misidentifying “problems;” 3. requiring unjustified budget cuts within preselected “six major strategies’” 4. not permitting consideration of the actual problem: private health insurance companies generating enormous administrative costs and improperly rationing care 5. not permitting consideration of an effective solution: a comprehensive single payer health care program for all Rhode Island residents such as that proposed by H5387, a single-payer health care bill introduced by Representative Aaron Regunberg.
The report says Raimondo overstates the percentage of the Rhode
Island budget spent on Medicaid.
She
uses 31 percent, but the PNHP/HCN-RI report says the actual number is
22.1 percent. Further, Rhode Island’s expenditures are below the national
average of 23.7 percent.
And it should not be forgotten that most Medicaid
expenses are reimbursed by the federal government dollar for dollar. Every
dollar cut from state expenditures is two dollars cut from services.
The PNHP/HCN-RI
report also accuses Raimondo of cherry picking data to paint the worst possible
picture to create a false Medicaid crisis.
When Raimondo considers
the drivers of high Medicaid costs, she ignores key problems. While Raimondo
blames “High Utilization,”
an “Aging Population”
or “fraud, waste and abuse,”
the PNHP/HCN-RI analysts note that her supporting data are questionable
and we should be looking at the fact that “multiple payers create enormous
excessive administrative costs and unfairly ration care.”
The report concludes by
making the case for single-payer healthcare. Adopting such a program, says the
PNHP, will:
Provide comprehensive health care
coverage to all Rhode Island residents with most Rhode Islanders paying less
for health care than they are currently paying;
Improve access to health care;
Save approximately $4000 per resident
per year by 2024 and put more money into the Rhode Island economy.
Significantly reduce health care dollars
spent on administrative costs and shift these dollars to actual provision of
health care (providers would save almost $1 billion in administrative costs in
the first year);
Decrease administrative burdens on
health care providers and allow them to spend more time providing health care;
Eliminate the burden of health insurance
costs and administrative obligations on Rhode Island businesses and thereby
make them more competitive and profitable. In the first year, payroll
contributions to the single payer plan would be over $1.2 billion less than
current private health insurance premiums.
Contain health care costs (reduced
administration and control over monopolistic pricing) would save 23% of current
expenditures in the first year with larger savings in subsequent years.
Create a significant economic stimulus
for the state by attracting businesses to and keeping businesses in Rhode
Island because of reduced health insurance costs, a particular boon to small
businesses and their employees.
You can see my coverage of
the Providence Town Hall meeting
here. For more on PHNP and single payer, see here.
In February, Steve
Ahlquist made $213.12 writing for RI Future. Consider supporting his efforts by
sending a donation through PayPal to the email below:
atomicsteve@gmail.com
Twitter: @SteveAhlquist
Twitter: @SteveAhlquist
Steve Ahlquist is a
writer, artist and current president of the Humanists of Rhode Island, a
non-profit group dedicated to reason, compassion, optimism, courage and action.
The views expressed are his own and not necessarily those of any organization
of which he is a member.
His photos and video are
usable under the Creative Commons license. Free to share with credit.
"We must take sides.
Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor,
never the tormented.” - Elie Weisel
“If you are neutral in
situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." -
Desmond Tutu