UNAPPROVED DRAFT BILL -- Subject to Change Without Notice!
JOINT RESOLUTION NO.
INTRODUCED BY
(Primary Sponsor)
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA REQUESTING A LEGISLATIVE INTERIM STUDY OF A SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM, INCLUDING COMPONENTS, COSTS, BENEFITS, LIMITATIONS, FUNDING OPTIONS, AND SUPPLEMENTAL COVERAGE PLANS.
WHEREAS, the federal and state governments pay more than 50% of the U.S. health care bill directly, according to a 2006 report to the Citizen's Health Care Working Group by the Public Citizen's Health Research Group; and
WHEREAS, a National Bureau of Economic Research paper in 2004 reviewed the use of tax policies, such as those that now provide $140 billion annually in tax breaks for employer-provided health insurance, and compared their use unfavorably to public insurance programs as a way of increasing coverage of the lowest-earning uninsured if offered directly to employees rather than to employers because the cost to government of public insurance programs ranged from $1.17 to $1.33 for each dollar of insurance, while the cost to government of tax policies ranged from $2.36 to $12.98 for each dollar of insurance provided; and
WHEREAS, the debate over how to increase access to health care coverage in this country has generated numerous conflicting analyses, including those reported by the Physicians for a National Health Program of 11 states since 1994 that have studied the option of a single-payer health insurance program, with the studies generally indicating savings in health care costs from administration and increased coverage of uninsured residents, which contrasts with a 1998 report by the Heritage Foundation of 16 states in which regulation on health insurance increased the number of uninsured; and
WHEREAS, interviews in Montana by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research under a state planning grant administered by the Department of Public Health and Human Services found in 2003 that three main themes surfaced among responses on health care access and insurance, including cost as a chief reason that people do not have health insurance, a view that the current system is broken and cannot be fixed, and an opinion that some type of universal or single-payer plan is the only way to replace the current system; and
WHEREAS, a 2006 survey of Montana businesses by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research indicated that more employers are asking employees to shoulder additional premium costs and that employees are not offered health insurance coverage at 37% of Montana businesses with 5 or fewer employees, 48% of businesses with 6 to 10 employees, and roughly 20% to 25% of businesses with 11 to 100 employees, although employers of more than 100 people almost uniformly offer health insurance; and
WHEREAS, having health insurance does not guarantee that people will access the coverage out of concern about paying deductibles or co-pays, which raises questions about the breadth of coverage and whether people are self-rationing their own health care at the early, possibly more manageable stage of intervention and waiting to obtain health care at a stage when costs are higher to both health and the pocketbook; and
WHEREAS, a single-payer system challenges business-as-usual approaches to health care coverage in the United States and involves many advocates, opponents, and interested parties as either payers, insurers, providers, or consumers.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
(1) That the Legislative Council be requested to designate an appropriate interim committee, pursuant to section 5-5-217, MCA, or direct sufficient staff resources to work with interested parties to study the concept of implementing a single-payer health insurance system in Montana, including in the study:
(a) businesses that provide full health insurance coverage for employees;
(b) businesses that do not provide health insurance coverage for employees;
(c) businesses that require employees to contribute equally to health insurance premiums;
(d) consumers of health care who are insured;
(e) consumers of health care who are uninsured;
(f) consumers of health care who are underinsured;
(g) insurers, including workers' compensation insurers;
(h) health care providers; and
(i) health care regulators.
(2) BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the study examine:
(a) the benefits, the problems, and the costs of implementing a single-payer health care system as well as the coordination that might be necessary with the federal government;
(b) the costs and the benefits of tax policies related to health insurance paid by employers;
(c) any alternate systems of providing single-payer health care, including coverage under an expansion of federal programs like Medicare or the Children's Health Insurance Program;
(d) any system that combines a single-payer system for basic or initial coverage with a multiple-payer system as a supplemental alternative; and
(e) the impact on the workers' compensation system under a single-payer health care system.
(3) BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that if the study is assigned to staff, any findings or conclusions be presented to and reviewed by an appropriate committee designated by the Legislative Council.
(4) BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all aspects of the study, including presentation and review requirements, be concluded prior to September 15, 2008.
(5) BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the final results of the study, including any findings, conclusions, comments, or recommendations of the appropriate committee, be reported to the 61st Legislature.
- END -
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