Maine Insurance

 As a member in 2006, Blue Ribbon Commission, the representative of Maine’s Dirigo health doctors, editorials Kennebec Journal of 17 April entitled “Slip-Democrats of tax increases with the voice of night, was of great interest to me.

The editorial expressed criticism of the legislature for the content of the bill amending the Dirigo Health Program (PA 2247) and the process leading to its adoption.

Since its adoption in 2003, the Agency Dirigo Health and the Dirigo health program have been largely financed by the controversial “savings balance of payment or SOPs.

While saying that the calculation of savings of health care by insurance people, the SOP was difficult to determine, and was constantly in order to collect and these Dirigo unlike ideology. The Public Health Agency of Dirigo spent between $ 3 million and $ 5 million per year to defend the SOP-methodology.

The Blue Ribbon Commission’s priority task was to find another source of funding for the SOP. The Commission recommended a package of additional taxes under the individual behaviour, the level is too high health costs, including taxes on tobacco, beer, wine, water and sugary drinks. The reasons for these recommendations was that the keys or consume these products is clearly related to obesity, alcohol abuse, lung disease and other health problems expensive.

Nearly 40 percent of health care in Maine costs stemming largely preventable health conditions such as lung diseases, cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The correlation between these conditions and products are taxed under the Dirigo bill is indisputable, and it is expensive to treat these conditions.

The editorials, it is clear that taxes were increased late in the night, with little or no public. The bill was in the house late in the evening - how is the end of a session of the legislative process - but the proposals have been reviewed and confirmed, since the Commission submitted its report in January 2007, almost Two years!

Believe me, lobbyists represent, beer and wine and interests of the beverage industry have worked against these proposals for the duration of the 123 Legislature.

And by inference editorial that the 1.8 per cent “Access to health margin” has been added, even without public subsidy is simply false entry.

The original bill included health access margin “and I said that the insurance sector and the Financial Services Commission on the Commission’s recommendations, including the new product at the end of taxes, during my hearing public testimony. Human beings may be reasonable with regard to the merits of the proposal, but the process was open and reasonable.

Dirigo Health was a compromise when it was adopted in 2003, and it remains a compromise. But it is now nearly five years and has been slow, but steady progress. It can never ensure the number of people forecast for the year 2003, but it serves as a cover to thousands of Mainers who otherwise could not cover. It is an important part of Maine’s overall concept for the reform of health care.

Remember that uninsured people are a major cause of the sharp reduction in health insurance premiums, because their health care costs are outsourced, for those who have private insurance. As taxpayers and buyers of health insurance, we are much better to have people who are the DirigoChoice insurance, promotes prevention and primary care to pay more for emergency treatment in Maine.

After two years of efforts, the legislature’s action last week on sustainable funding for the Dirigo health program is remarkable and one of the highlights of the last meeting.

The effects are long term initiatives to improve the prospects for all families who work hard Maine, as the central objective of health reform Dirigo is cost reduction for all of us, the insurance for all. We are now on track.

Gordon Smith, Executive Vice President of the Maine Medical Association.