Salina Area Chamber of Commerce

Policy Statement #1: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that a major factor that increases health insurance costs is the bill for uninsured people who receive health care services. Health care providers shift those costs to people who are insured. This theory believes that by mandating and requiring all people in Kansas to have insurance, the cost shift will cease and rate increases will flatten. This is similar to what Massachusetts did three years ago to address health care costs.
Policy Statement #2: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that smoking tobacco is a major factor in unhealthy Kansans. This theory believes that eliminating smoking in public places will ultimately lead to more healthy people – holding down increases in the cost of health insurance.
Policy Statement #3: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that young adults typically do not purchase health care insurance because of cost and because the policies have benefits they do not need (pre-natal care may not be appropriate for a young unmarried woman, for example). This theory believes that insurers should offer “young adult” policies with a “bare-bones” limited benefit package. These policies will have reduced premiums and be priced lower.
Policy Statement #4: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes reducing health insurance costs involves paying for the expense in another manner than using insurance. This theory believes that pre-tax “cafeteria plans” are a good idea and should be encouraged. Employees are encouraged to elect pre-tax payroll deductions to pay for health care costs. These expenses are paid by the consumer instead of being paid for by the health insurance policy.
Policy Statement #5: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that unhealthy lifestyles are a major part of the problem. The theory is that having more healthy Kansans will ultimately hold down increases in the cost of health care. By providing financial incentives for small businesses to have employee wellness initiatives, we can have a long-term impact on what makes health care more expensive.
Policy Statement #6: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that providing insurance for low income Kansans is a good idea. The state will subsidize the cost of insurance for those below the federal poverty level. This theory believes that low-income people tend to not have insurance and typically avoid preventative health care, which costs less than emergency care.
Policy Statement #7: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that insurance companies should be mandated to establish a “group” for very small employers with less than 10 employees. The theory is that small businesses typically absorb large premium increases because they lack a large pool of employees to spread costs. Creating groups would reduce the rate that premiums increase.
Policy Statement #8: Please give your feedback to the statement and explain the reasons for your opinion. This policy statement believes that tobacco use creates unhealthy Kansans. This theory believes that a significant increase in cigarette taxes will create a financial incentive for people to quit smoking.
Question #9: We know that more than half of all people over the age of 50 have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or some other chronic condition. Chronic patients make up only 5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries but they account for 43 percent of the Medicare costs. How can we improve chronic care and reduce costs at the same time?
Question #10: What other thoughts and ideas do you have to help with the cost of health insurance?