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By Dan Burkwald
President
Burkwald & Associates
 June 8, 2010
Healthcare reform has certainly gotten its share of attention in the last 18 months! Recently passed legislation means that over the next few years, the federal government will implement what I view as heavy handed solutions.
On top of this significant change at the federal level, the Doyle administration has announced its intention to be among the earliest states to implement federal reforms and get us engaged in a number of areas. With so many unknowns about how health care reform will work in practice, it is a mistake for the state of Wisconsin to be out in front on this issue, hoping to get it right.
Should Wisconsin Lead the Nation?
There are still many open questions (3000) with respect to federal funding of these programs, how they will be managed and by whom. Until these details are ironed out, it would be inappropriate for Wisconsin to “jump the gun” and implement pilot programs while so much is still up in the air.
In fact, the State of Wisconsin has numerous existing healthcare programs including BadgerCare, BadgerCare Plus, SeniorCare and HIRSP (Health Insurance Risk Sharing Pool) that are functioning well. If you add traditional private marketplace insurance solutions to these state-run programs, we are able to insure 95% of our state’s population. Given Wisconsin’s relative success at providing health care to its citizens, focusing resources on an early implementation of still-uncertain federal reforms just doesn’t make sense.
Instead of Doyle’s plan, Wisconsin should continue to work with the programs we have in place to insure all those who live here. As the state gains clarity on the federal program, a more productive use of the state’s resources include the following:
- Make sure the uninsured in our state have knowledge and access to HIRSP.
- Encourage health care provider and insurance company transparency, which is already getting better, to further improve.
- Employers and benefit plans should continue to encourage healthy behavior and move toward wellness education. Adding financial motivations to encourage healthy behavior will pay off as employers realize significant savings in the long run.
- Encourage those who have chosen not to have insurance to use clinics instead of the much-more-expensive emergency room visits.
- Continue seeking ways to get Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to adequately cover the cost of services, rather than shifting those costs to private payers. This could reduce the cost of individual private healthcare significantly.
Walk Don't Run
In short, many of our health care problems can be solved by engaging and encouraging private industry to reduce cost as well as obtaining Medicare and Medicaid solvency. The State of Wisconsin should walk slowly and not rush to the edge to see the view only to find ourselves falling into premature mistakes. With so many uncertainties on health care reform, Wisconsin cannot afford to be out in front.
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