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Democrats' health bills depend on forcing individuals to buy insurance or face severe fines or imprisonment.
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Andrew Cline has been editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader since October of 2001. His writing has appeared in more than 100 newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Review.Bob Clegg: We're being penny-wise and pound-foolish on health care
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By BOB CLEGG
Friday, Jul. 18, 2008
DOESN'T THE headline above say it all? This idiom reflects precisely what insurance companies all too often do, and a reaction some are jumping to in response to a recent piece of bipartisan legislation that Gov. John Lynch has allowed to become law.
In the Senate this year, I introduced a bill, SB 312. Publicly dubbed the bariatric surgery bill, the legislation is much broader, requiring insurance companies to cover "diseases and ailments caused by obesity and morbid obesity and treatment, including bariatric surgery, when determined to be medically necessary by a physician." This also includes treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, previously part of all policies but currently some insurers want to exclude them.
The health insurance industry is a regulated industry. As a for-profit business, its goal is to make money. That is why decades ago government began regulating it to ensure equity and fair access. While one could argue whether the industry should have been allowed to maintain itself in a "what the market will bear" climate, that is a discussion that has already passed.
Like home builders, insurers are expected to act responsibly. Just as we would find a home without indoor plumbing or no heating system irresponsible home-building, so too do we find health insurance that does not cover heart attacks, diabetes, cancer or other life-threatening ailments irresponsible. When a company relies on the ability of those who get sick with an obesity-related disease to get "free" health care from the taxpayer, it just furthers the cause of those who wish for socialized medicine.
Those who claim the cost will rise to take care of obesity-related diseases do not calculate the cost of the insurance premium vs. the cost to the taxpayer who will foot the bill under Medicaid.
SB 312 saves money and lives. The health risk factor of obesity is known to cause life-threatening problems. In men, there is a clear link to colorectal cancer, and in women, postmenopausal breast cancer and endometrium (cancer of the lining of the uterus). Kidney and esophagus cancers show no gender bias but are more prevalent in obese people.
Here are some hard facts on the cost of obesity-related ailments:
In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that obesity resulted in an annual cost of $117 billion in direct and indirect expenses, with a large portion of that being absorbed in taxpayer-funded health programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. The same year, the CDC estimated that being overweight or obese is associated with a 14.5 percent and 37 percent increase in per capita annual medical expenses, respectively. On Feb. 21, 2006, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services recognized obesity as a disease and allowed national coverage for gastric bypass.
Recent studies have shown that after bariatric surgery roughly 90 percent of diabetics no longer need insulin treatments after 30 to 40 days. An obese diabetic friend recently told me that his medicines cost $12,000 to 15,000 per year. For more than two years, this person fought with his insurance company to pay for bariatric surgery. The surgery costs a approximately $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the procedure. During that two-year time period the insurance company paid more than $24,000 in medicines for obesity-related ailments. In addition, this friend had a heart attack and the cost for treatment was $32,000. Does this make good fiscal sense?
In the workplace, obesity is linked to higher health care costs than smoking or drinking and plays a major role in disability claims. This translates into twice as many workers' compensation claims and a significantly higher number of lost work days.
The numbers add up. Preventative treatment of obesity-related illness saves money and lives. We have one of the best health care systems in the world, but at a time when health care costs are becoming prohibitive, perhaps we need to consider a dose of common sense. Otherwise we are just being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Sen. Bob Clegg of Hudson is a Republican candidate for Congress in the 2nd District.
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YOUR COMMENTS
This legislation could very well be a dangerous and costly mandate for NH healthcare consumers.
Considering that a recent survey published by a leading infection control professional organization (APIC) identified New Hamphsire as having one of the highest rates of hospital acquired infections in the country, it would seem prudent that our legislators would first get a handle on these infections before mandating coverage for what is known to be high risk surgery.
New Hampshire has a hospital infection disclosure law (passed in 2006) that remains unfunded because of heavy opposition from The NH HospitalAssociation and hospital administrators. Before we continue to give hospitals an open checkbook to build more surgical centers funded by our own skyrocketing insurance premiums, we should demand that they first publicly report their surgical infection rates.
- Lori, Sanbornton, NH
What gets me the most is the comment made by Clegg stating "The surgery costs a approximately $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the procedure"
The next comment is "this friend had a heart attack and the cost for treatment was $32,000"
To even consider comparing the two is NOT common sense. You are comparing an apple with an orange, two different procedures which require different services provided there are no complications during the surgery and no post-op issues as well.
The costs of Bariatric Surgery do not just end at the 10,000-20,000 price tag. You still have follow up with doctors, you still have nutritional consults, you may still very well have psychological follow ups in some cases as well. It is a hell of alot more than 20,000.00 with this together... and more than likely twice as much with minimal complications... to the cases that have severe complications, it's astronomical!
By making all insurances pay for this service, regardless of all the preventative measures they still require prior to doing a Bypass, you still place the financial burden on companies who are trying to get a competitive and affordable rate of insurance coverage for their employees... And the bottom line that is charging the employees will reflect this mandatory bill.
I know the right way to lose weight and it will never include bariatric surgery or any type of bariatric changes. I know many people who refuse this and cant believe the Governor ALLOWED this to be passed without any action whatsoever other than staring at a piece of paper with a dumbfounded look.
Unless you are born with the limited list of rare disorders that cause obesity, and trust me it is limited, I dont feel insurances should be paying for this if you are obese as a result of your own doing (or lack there of). I have a rare condition that has been clinically documented as such, but I still dont believe in this surgery at all.
Im happy to say, Ive dropped and kept off almost 40 pounds by doing it the right way, and Im still on that road and feeling great, looking better and knowing that Im going to save myself ALOT of money by not doing this surgery, ..... because Im gonna need that extra money to pay for higher premiums as a result...
Too bad no one has disclosed if Bariatric-Bob has any medical background or medical experience.. because he sounds ignorant to me!
- Melanie, Manchester
Dear Bob Clegg:
Do you think people should be allowed to buy health insurance that is sold in other states? I do. The more competition there is the better the care and the lower the cost is likely to be.
Why do you not realize that the more mandates that health insurance companies have to cover the less likely they are to want to do business in New Hampshire? Less competition means higher prices and lower quality of care. Do you care if young people starting out are able to afford health insurance? Do you care if people in their 30s who have families are able to afford health insurance for themselves and their families? Do you care if people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are able to afford health insurance?
Do you think people should be allowed to deduct the full cost of their health insurance from their federal taxes or part of the cost? If part of the cost, how much percent?
Do you think people should be allowed to buy into Medicare or a health insurance plan similar to what members of Congress have? I do. This type of competition may get for profit health insurance companies and non profit health insurance companies to treat their customers better.
- Ken Stremsky, Manchester, NH
Clegg's got courage to go through the surgery and to hold the door open for others who need it.
- Joey, Merrimack
Mike(Bow),"What kind of leadership is that?" Very POOR leadership.
I was hoping to hear from Sen. Clegg(RINO-District 2),in response to some of the posts here.
This being Friday,his writers must have taken a long weekend and are unavailable to craft a well worded response.
I say we should award both Gov."Photo-Op" and Sen. Bariatric (thanks John L.) the Profiles In Courage award.
Right after we vote them out of office,that is.
- Mike P., Manchester
Let's say I had bariatric surgery when I was with insurance company A, then I get a new job and change to insurance company B. The first company has taken the financial hit but does not reap any benefits from my better health. The only way this idiotic legislation would make sense is if people were with the same company over 30 or 40 years. That simply doesn't happen these days. This bill is poorly thought out and is completely unnecessary. The governor should have vetoed this in a heartbeat, instead he did nothing. What kind of leadership is that?
- Mike, Bow
Leftie orthodoxy that prevention is more economical than reaction, ignores the fact that, when government moves from solving problems to solving not-yet-problems, the cost is infinite.
Special rights for gluttons! Imagine.
- Spike, Brentwood NH
If this coverage really reduced costs to insurance companies they would not have needed legislation to force them to include it. Mandating coverage such as this is exactly why health insurance costs so much. We need to move in exactly the opposite direction where services such as this are offered ala carte but are not mandatory. Obesity is completely avoidable simply by putting down the knife, the fork, and the donut. Bob had to pay for his own surgery and that is at it should be. I am glad it worked out for him but if you crash your own car into a brick wall will the insurance company pay for it? If you set your own house on fire will insurance cover it? Same thing should apply here. You messed yourself up, you pay for the treatment. Now all of us will pay higher premiums even though most of us will never need or want this surgery. Thanks Bob.
- Mark, Amherst
I heard that "Bariatric Bob" was running as a Republican. I guess he figures that socialized medicine is a great thing if it's rammed down people's throats through unfunded mandates on the private sector. Perhaps he should reconsider and run in the Democratic primary against his clone Hodes.
I agree with Mike P. that it makes a whole lot of sense for people to take responsibility for their own health rather than mandating that insurance companies penalize healthy people to pay for Bariatric Bob's surgery. Every mandate or wealth transfer means that even more people are priced out of medical insurance. Some healthy people just opt out because it's a bad deal paying outrageous premiums to pay for Bariatric Bob and his unhealthy ilk.
I'm reminded of the chant that my kids used to sing to the rhinoceros at Benson's. "RINO, RINO, you're to fat to flyo.
- John Lewicke, Mason
Sen. Clegg,with all due respect,you forgot the "hard(est) fact on the cost of obesity-related ailments."
The vast majority of obese people can be "cured",not with expensive medical procedures,but with money SAVING procedures.Namely,fewer costly stops at fast food joints,smaller grocery bills,cutting out expensive and nutritionally lacking snack foods,etc.,etc..
They could also cancel the cable TV service and save on movie rentals by adopting an active life style.
Or,Sen. Clegg,is this proposal too draconian for the Nanny State.
"...perhaps we need to consider a dose of common sense."
Again,with all due respect,Sen. Clegg,perhaps the"dose" would have been more effective taken before you introduced SB 312.
Sadly,the longer our nation exists,the more proof is given to the quote by Thomas Jefferson.
"All government is evil." TJ
- Mike P., Manchester
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