R08-2 A resolution to support the Health Care for All Ohioans Act
Resolved, that the Diocese of Southern Ohio, gathered in this 134th diocesan convention, declare its support for the Health Care for All Ohioans Act, SB 168[1] & HB 186[2] [Links to complete text below]; and be it further
Resolved, that all Southern Ohio Episcopalians be encouraged to contact the Governor and their Ohio House and Senate members who represent the geographical bounds of the Diocese of Southern Ohio to ask them to support passage of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act; and be it further
Resolved, that the Secretary of this Convention send copies of this resolution to the Governor of Ohio and to all members of the Ohio Legislature.
Presented by:
The Rev. John S. Paddock , Christ Church, Dayton
Contact: johnpaddock@mac.com
Explanation: There is a crisis in health care in this land. We have the most expensive health care system in the world while the World Health Organization ranks us 37th in the world based on our outcomes (70 criteria are measured to determine outcomes, including longevity, infant mortality, access to care etc.). In Ohio, more than 1.3 million citizens (one of every nine people) are currently without health insurance. According to the Institute of Medicine, two Ohioans die every day from treatable illnesses, and thousands more suffer and live with impairments from untreated diseases, injuries, and lack of prenatal health care. Prior to the current home loan crisis, it was estimated that medical bills contributed to one-half of all bankruptcies. And the rapidly rising cost of health insurance is certainly creating increasing burdens on our congregations and is taking money away from mission and ministry.
Both SB 168 and HB 186 are still in committee. Legislators need to hear from Ohioans that health care for all is a priority for people of faith and that we expect them to move this legislation forward.
Highlights of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act
Issued by the Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio)
The Health Care for All Ohioans Act, referred to here as “the Plan,” provides coverage for the full range of inpatient and outpatient hospital care, preventive care, mental health, vision, hearing, prescription drugs, dental, emergency services, rehabilitation services, hospice care, home care, health maintenance care, medical supplies, and all other necessary medical services as determined by any state licensed, certified, or registered health care practitioner. It provides timely emergency health care services in each county, including hospital care and triage, and necessary transportation in each county to access covered health care services.
2. Coverage will be provided regardless of income or employment status and there will be no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.
3. There will be no premiums, copayments or deductibles.
4. Patients will have free choice of health care providers and hospitals. People who today lack coverage will be able to see doctors and other providers when needed, and will benefit from preventive care and early intervention.
5. Payments to health care providers for all covered services will be made from a single public fund, called the Ohio Health Care Fund. The Plan will be funded by payroll taxes paid by employers not to exceed 3.85%; a gross receipts tax on businesses not to exceed 3%; income tax increases limited ONLY to those earning more than the Social Security tax cap, which in 2007 was $97,500 annually; a 5% surtax on adjusted gross income over $200,000; $11.6 billion in administrative cost savings; and funds from government sources.
6. Since health care bills will be paid from a single public fund, insurance companies will no longer have a role in the system and the billions of dollars in profits they take from it will go instead for patient care.
7. Workers under collective bargaining agreements will enjoy the same benefits as everyone else. If benefits under these agreements are less than what the Plan provides, employers must pay the cost of increasing benefits to the level of the Plan, with the employers paying all the premiums, copayments and deductibles; or the employer and the union may renegotiate and begin coverage under the Plan immediately. The Plan will automatically cover workers when their collective bargaining agreements expire.
8. Public employers — on a state, county, school district and municipal level — will pay much less for employees’ health care coverage than they do today, since their payroll tax for health care will not exceed 3.85% of the total payroll. Public employers would not pay a gross receipts tax. Most private employers, who today provide benefits, will also save because the combination of the payroll tax and the gross receipts tax will be less than what many of these employers pay today for health care coverage for their employees.
9. Workers employed by health insurance companies and others who lose jobs as a result of the changes brought about by the Health Care For All Ohioans Act will receive, at public expense, retraining and financial assistance for up to two years in an amount not to exceed $60,000 per year. Many of these workers will be able to find employment in the public sector implementing the new Plan.
10. There will be a marked reduction in physicians’ costs for billing since payment for services rendered will come from one public fund, not from hundreds of private insurers. Payment will be guaranteed from that public fund. Malpractice insurance will also be less expensive since medical bills will no longer be part of jury awards.
Impact on God’s vision in the Diocese of Southern Ohio: This resolution promotes our commitment to the baptismal covenant to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself,” and striving “for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being.” This resolution addresses four of the eight Millennium Development Goals regarding reduction of poverty, child health, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS. Adoption of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act would promote better stewardship by reducing the costs of health care and thereby expanding the number of resources available to both individual Christians and to the Church for mission and ministry.
Budget Impact: The budget would be negligible for adopting the resolution. The budget impact from adoption of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act would be substantial reductions in health insurance costs for both the Diocese of Southern Ohio and for her congregations. As an example, Christ Church, Dayton, is spending $30,729 annually for health insurance. Under the Healthcare for All Ohioans Act, we would spend an estimated $7,222.
Program Impact: There will be no impact on programming for simply adopting the resolution. Adoption of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act would allow more resources for diocesan and congregational programming.
[1] For complete text of the bill, go to http://legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_168
[2] For complete text of the bill, go to http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_HB_186
9 comments:
From the Scioto River Deanery meeting: Nancy Alway from Christ Church Dayton, introduced Brad Cotton (Circleville Quaker, emergency room doctor in Chillicothe) to speak to Resolution R08-2 (he also spoke to R08-3)- - Medicine for Everyone - - he spoke passionately about his belief in this resolution and his beliefs on how to manage a better health care. He distributed a handout “Privatizing health care is not the answer: lessons from the United States” by Marcia Angell MD – pub 10/6/08.
Questions – Who is going to run this and how? Has a similar Massachusetts model been successful? Referring to the Budget Impact, re: Christ Church Dayton health insurance savings – people said it was not clear enough.
From the Cincinnati meeting at Christ Church, Glendale: This is in response to resolutions 2 and 3:
Question: Will Ohio have to change its law if a national health care law is implemented?
Question: How does this proposed system compare to that in Massachusetts or other states?
Question: If resolution #3 encompasses the same issues as #2, why do we need both?
Question: Is it our intent not to endorse any particular system at this time?
From the Columbus Deanery:
• this resolution expires with the end of this legislative session (the sponsors intend to resubmit the legislation in January’s new session)
• a request has been made to have a list of those sponsoring legislators added to the blog site.
• Currently stuck in committee; sponsors felt church’s support may get it to the floor
• Concern that the defined payment structure (requiring less from poor and more from wealthy) will guarantee it will be stuck in committee forever
• Questions about why Resolution 2 and 3 were not combined (Resolution 2 deals with a specific piece of legislation; Resolution 3 are guidelines not specific to any legislation)
From the Dayton Deanery:
• Jon Boss explained that this resolution supports specific pieces of legislation (Senate Bill 1681 and House Bill 1862), and in the event these bills fail to get introduced in this legislation, the resolution could extend to the support of like legislation in the future.
• Elaine Musick from Christ Church, Dayton, explained that her church would save $23,000 per year in health care expenses for employees if this legislation establishing a single-payer system were passed. She also estimated that the city of Columbus would save $63 million. She arrived at these estimates by multiplying payroll amounts by 3.85% (i.e. the approximate tax specified in the legislation) and then subtracting that figure from current health care expenses.
• Dr. Robert Conard spoke of the need to consider health care a human right, and noted the following:
~ minorities suffer more than the majority under the current health care system;
~ sickness should not be considered as the basis of profit but of caring for neighbors;
~ the current cost of health care is about 25% of payroll expenses, a number that far exceeds the 3.85% tax proposed in the current bills;
~ the bill would not replace but supplement federal support such as CHIPS, Medicare, and Medicaid.
• Concerns were raised about the following issues by pre-convention attendees:
~ Hawaii recently discontinued its universal coverage for children which raises questions about viability; the only other program to go on, Dr. Conard noted, is one that passed the California legislature but was vetoed by Governor Swarzenegger;
~ The length of the bills may make it difficult for convention attendees to be able to digest before voting; Dr. Conard noted that any bill will likely undergo changes in the legislative process, so fully grasping the details of the current bills may be less important than having a general understanding of the single-payer system.
From the Miami River Deanery:
"What is the impact of the passage of this resolution?" Resolution sponsors said: National change is started at the state level. Are there safeguards? There will be one payer for health care, rather than many insurance agencies. There will be loss of employment for those working in the insurance business, therefore; they and the big pharmacies will be against this proposal.
From the Northeast Deanery:
How will the program work?
What are the formularies?
How will medical professionals be paid?
What will a fee schedule look like?
Will it be like Medicare?
Will doctors have to sign up for it?
What incentive for doctors?
Will everything be covered?
Will there be a need for supplemental insurance?
What about current insurance companies? Out of business?
What about the downside of government in charge?
Answers for the Northeast Deanery’s questions:
How will the program work?
Details are in the actual language of the bills which can be downloaded from the websites provided.
What are the formularies? Formularies would be established by the Ohio Board of Health.
How will medical professionals be paid?
In a doctor/patient-run health care system the doctor submits her bills to the state, in this case, to the Ohio Health Care Fund, set up by the passage of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act. Currently, doctors and hospitals must hire lots of administrative staff to fight with dozens of different insurance companies with dozens of different rules. There will be less need for so much administrative staff.
What will a fee schedule look like?
Similar to Medicare.
Will it be like Medicare?
Yes.
Will doctors have to sign up for it?
Yes. But all licensed doctors and practitioners in Ohio would be eligible.
What incentive for doctors?
To get paid in a timely fashion without hassle and to practice medicine in line with best practices and in consultation with their patients without interference by multiple insurance companies.
Will everything be covered?
Everything that the citizens of Ohio through their Board of Health want to have covered.
Will there be a need for supplemental insurance?
No.
What about current insurance companies? Out of business?
The unethical insurance-run health care system that denies care to 1.8 million Ohioans every year and is the cause of death of 2 Ohioans per day who die from treatable illnesses will be replaced with an ethical doctor/patient-run health care system.
What about the downside of government in charge?
This question assumes a world view that in the realm of human security public governance is to be despised and private governance is to be preferred. Public government already administers human security departments, i.e. fire, police and military protection, to name three. Americans take these human security functions of public governance for granted. When you call 911, no dispatcher asks if your premium is paid, or if you left your door unlocked and therefore don't qualify for police protection. Likewise, if Americans get sick, they should go to their doctor and be treated. Period. If you prefer private governance and the
current insurance-run health care system, don't vote YES for this resolution.
Nov. 8, 2008: Resolution fails.
Why?
The only questions or issues raised at convention were answered here in in the blogs. Only a few people objected. And yet a large number voted in the negative. Why?
What do Episcopalians in Southern Ohio object to in a universal healthcare program that is far less expensive that the one we have now?
What is objectionable about doctor/patient centered healthcare in a moral economy?
It is awfully difficult to respond to folk's objections when they are unspoken.
John Paddock
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