Guest commentary: Don't solve health care on back's of workers (State of Wisconsin's health plan)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/MAN06/706020454/1410/MANopinion

Posted June 2, 2007

Guest commentary: Don't solve health care on back's of workers

Bob Ziegelbauer might be a clever politician, but he's not much of a historian. He's quick to take personal credit because county workers have agreed to new contracts that will temporarily help cope with the spiraling cost of our nation's health care crisis.

But he conveniently forgets that it was cost-saving measures pushed by county workers for the past two years that finally forced the county's private health insurance provider to play ball.

Fully aware of consequences of our nation's broken health care system, county employees represented by AFSCME proposed in early 2006 that we explore high deductible health plans paired with deductible reimbursements as a means of reducing the costs of health insurance. Blue Cross claimed no reductions worth exploring would result.

AFSCME negotiators then proposed exploring the State of Wisconsin's health plan, which provided comparable coverage at 20 percent less cost than the county's Blue Cross plan. After initially refusing to consider the state plan, the county finally agreed and by September of 2006 the county and AFSCME were very close to a settlement to change to the state plan.

Blue Cross suddenly decided that high deductibles paired with deductible reimbursements saved substantial sums and that such a plan could be offered to the county for almost exactly the same cost as the state plan.

AFSCME members understand that change is necessary. And by change, we mean more than insurance industry-backed gimmicks. Out-of-control health care costs are pummeling every employer, public and private, while more than 47 million Americans have no coverage.

FULL article at link.