Thursday, November 02, 2006
[IWS] STATE HEALTH INSURANCE INDEX 2006--50-State Comparison [26 October 2006]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Council for Affordable Health Insurance
STATE HEALTH INSURANCE INDEX 2006:
A 50-State Comparison of the Nations Health Insurance Market [26 October 2006]
http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/StateIndex.pdf
[full-text, 6 pages]
[excerpt]
Since the early 1990s, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) has tracked health insurance legislation in all
50 states. Once implemented, some of the laws have had a dramatic impact on the individual and small group health insurance
markets, sometimes improving the markets and sometimes harming them. And in some cases virtually destroying
the market. As state legislators consider future health insurance legislation, they need to understand how state laws affect
insurance coverage.
Purpose of the Index. CAHIs 2006 State Health Insurance Index provides a snapshot of the health insurance environment
in each state.
· Which states provide a dynamic, competitive market for health insurance, where consumers have a wide range of affordable
options?
· And which states undermine their markets so that consumers have few health insurance options, and what is available
is very expensive?
Surveys of the uninsured consistently show that the cost of health insurance is the primary reason for their being uninsured.
Thus, the most efficient way to reduce the number of uninsured Americans is to ensure that people have access to a
wide range of affordable health insurance polices. Some states largely achieve that goal, some dont. This Index identifies
those states that are doing the best and worst jobs of ensuring access to affordable coverage. Health insurance may
not be cheap in any state, but it can be available and affordable if states implement the right policies.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Council for Affordable Health Insurance
STATE HEALTH INSURANCE INDEX 2006:
A 50-State Comparison of the Nations Health Insurance Market [26 October 2006]
http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/StateIndex.pdf
[full-text, 6 pages]
[excerpt]
Since the early 1990s, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) has tracked health insurance legislation in all
50 states. Once implemented, some of the laws have had a dramatic impact on the individual and small group health insurance
markets, sometimes improving the markets and sometimes harming them. And in some cases virtually destroying
the market. As state legislators consider future health insurance legislation, they need to understand how state laws affect
insurance coverage.
Purpose of the Index. CAHIs 2006 State Health Insurance Index provides a snapshot of the health insurance environment
in each state.
· Which states provide a dynamic, competitive market for health insurance, where consumers have a wide range of affordable
options?
· And which states undermine their markets so that consumers have few health insurance options, and what is available
is very expensive?
Surveys of the uninsured consistently show that the cost of health insurance is the primary reason for their being uninsured.
Thus, the most efficient way to reduce the number of uninsured Americans is to ensure that people have access to a
wide range of affordable health insurance polices. Some states largely achieve that goal, some dont. This Index identifies
those states that are doing the best and worst jobs of ensuring access to affordable coverage. Health insurance may
not be cheap in any state, but it can be available and affordable if states implement the right policies.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 11:21 AM
