The private health insurance industry is an insatiable beast intent on devouring every attempt to modify its for-profit rules. The recent proposal to privatize the non-profit health insurers GHI&HIP (now Emblem Health) offers clear evidence that Americans need a national health insurance system. Small reforms will not protect us.
GHI & HIP are NY State’s non-profit alternative to for-profit healthcare. Non-profit status caps administrative spending at 15% of the total budget (i.e. CEO salaries), provides oversight on rate increases and restricts the companies from accepting private financing. These protections were put in place to insure that the provision of low-cost quality healthcare became a goal instead of the enhancement of profit margins.
Four million New Yorkers are now covered by GHI&HIP including 500,000 NY City employees. The plans also provide care to many of the State’s Medicaid and Medicare recipients. Removal of non-profit safeguards places subscribers in jeopardy of higher premium rates, denials of claims for care and being dropped from the plans.
The proposal to privatize is currently under consideration by the NY State Department of Insurance. A determined campaign to stop the conversion has been led by the Coalition Against Privatization. New Yorkers should oppose the privatization of GHI&HIP and support HR 676 as an alternative to for-profit healthcare.
For more information norpivatization@yahoo.com or http://saveourhealthcare.blogspot.com/
Posts
