Article by George Whitehurst - Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
      

                                                                                                                           
July 26, 2007 – Employee Health Insurance – The Next Dinosaur?
 

Speakers offer look at future of employer-sponsored health insurance

Approximately 50 people gathered recently at Germanna Community College’s Fredericksburg Campus to discuss the future of employer-based health insurance.  Organized by the Chamber’s Healthcare Council, the meeting, entitled, “Employee Health Benefits: The Next Dinosaur?”, laid the groundwork for an action plan to help business owners find ways to afford health insurance for their workers.

Sands Anderson Marks & Miller served as the event’s Platinum Sponsor. Germanna Community College and Pratt Medical Center served as Gold Sponsors. Rappahannock Area Health Education Center was the Silver Sponsor.

Chamber President Bob Hagan noted in his brief introductory remarks that rising premiums are preventing many small business owners from offering health insurance to their employees.  “That’s scary to us as individuals and businesses,” he said. “We hope it will have a happy ending, but it doesn’t have to have a happy ending and it won’t have a happy ending by us simply standing around.”

Pierce Rucker of Sands Anderson stressed the “crucial importance” of a strong healthcare sector in the United States. “We all have a key stake in the physical and mental health of people in this region,” he said, adding that adequate insurance coverage is a cornerstone of good health for the area.

Rusty Dodd, who chairs the Healthcare Council’s Insurance and Reimbursement Committee, declared that Americans need to take charge of their health if they want to pay less for health insurance. He noted that about 50 percent of health insurance claims are “lifestyle driven,” meaning the result of overeating, lack of exercise, smoking, etc.

Jerry Canaan, an attorney with the Richmond office of the law firm of Hancock, Daniel, Johnson & Nagle, P.C. then discussed the effect on the healthcare industry of excess malpractice lawsuits. He noted that the average OB/GYN pays between $75,000 and $100,000 annually in malpractice insurance premiums.  That of course, drives up the price of their services, which in turn places a strain on health insurance companies. He urged the business, insurance and healthcare communities to band together to push for meaningful tort reform at the state and national levels.

David Elliot, who has worked to build healthcare coalitions in both Missouri and Florida, stressed the need to get a broad array of people involved in the effort to save employer-based health insurance. He also worried aloud about rising healthcare costs, noting that they now comprise about 20 percent of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product.

            The even concluded with questions from the audience.

Article by George Whitehurst - Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

     

To read the follow-up article by the Healthcare Council Chairman, Brian D'Orazio click here