Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston
Globe
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January 20, 2000, Thursday ,THIRD EDITION
SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A16
LENGTH: 345 words
HEADLINE: AN
EXPANSIVE HEALTH PROPOSAL
BODY:
In
an era of incremental steps toward providing health care for
the uninsured, Senator Kennedy's latest proposal is a stride
forward. If it survives a contentious Congress, the plan has the potential to do
what has so far eluded the nation's leaders: give the 44 million people now
uninsured access to affordable health coverage
without a government-run program and without imposing expensive mandates on
business.
The biggest drawback in Kennedy's plan is that it does not
guarantee coverage. Individuals would still have to buy their own coverage, and
that would be entirely voluntary. But Kennedy proposes to subsidize the price of
insurance for people with moderate incomes - possibly up to
$40,000 for a family of four. This is an approach that is
already working well with children of families earning too much to be eligible
for Medicaid. Extending the subsidies in the federal government's Children's
Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, should widen the
circle. Yesterday President Clinton also proposed expanding
CHIP to the parents of children enrolled in the program, but only 4 million
adults would be eligible. Kennedy's plan would extend CHIP further, to single
adults and childless couples, and possibly to those making higher incomes.
Kennedy's BASIC program (the initials stand for basic access to secure insurance
coverage) would encourage participation another way: by requiring companies to
offer automatic payroll deductions and other minimal administrative support.
Since 82 percent of the nation's uninsured have jobs, the workplace is still an
efficient vehicle for enrolling patients and maintaining premiums. Far from a
government mandate, the BASIC program is a good example of the "new alliance of
government and business" Kennedy said he hopes will be ushered in with the new
century.
The plan is still in its infancy. It does not yet have a price
tag, a time line, or a list of cosponsors. But it does have a powerful idea:
that accessible, affordable, high-quality health care is an achievable aim for
every American.
LOAD-DATE: January 20, 2000
