|
Idea to send: |
| Topic | Oklahomas Uninsured |
| Content | Increasingly we hear about the vast numbers of Oklahomans without health coverage. One statistic that is always left out are the numbers of self employed Oklahomans who choose not insure their families. The decision may be related to cost or because there has always been someone there to pick up the tab. As example, I would point to one half of my family which is composed of truck drivers, carpenters and contractors none of whom have any form of health insurance. They,about 30 of them to be exact, have been and continue to be a key factor in the burden on our healthcare system, not to mention the amount of time they spend filling up the local emergency rooms. For most, the choice for insurance boils down to whether to buy the new Escalade or pay for insurance for their family; not whether to eat or buy insurance.
My proposal is this, that we utilize the benefit of the health care savings accounts and impose upon all self employed Oklahomans that they and their immediate family participate in either a HSA or other insurance plan in order to conduct business in the state. Yes, some would still need to be subsidized as with the high risk health insurance program the state offers but at a lower cost than medicare and other healthcare subsidies. Additionally, the incentive of being able to retain the unused portion of the HSA for retirement might get a few more folks to eat a salad rather than the Big Mac. |
|