Thursday, March 6, 2008

More Mandates; Higher Costs

First, from the pages of the Union Leader

Surgery for everyone: A big, fat mandate 

SEN. BOB CLEGG, R-Hudson, had weight-loss surgery last year and dropped more than 100 pounds. He is so happy with the results, he has introduced a bill to require that health insurers cover weight loss treatments, including surgery. 

Sen. Clegg's is one of numerous bills introduced in this legislative session to mandate health insurance coverage for specific treatments. Legislators have proposed demanding coverage for chiropractic care, colorectal screening, prostate cancer treatment, early intervention services for infants and toddlers, infertility treatments, midwife services and hormone treatments for transexuals. 

Sen. Clegg paid $20,000 for his surgery. He says insurers would save more than that over the years if they paid for the surgeries. But insurers are pretty good at math. If covering the surgery is cost-effective, they won't need the state to force them to do it. 

Legislators would help more people by reducing mandates, thus making health insurance more affordable and creating more coverage options. 

And from me: 

Bosse Chides Hodes for Raising Health Insurance Prices  

(Tilton)  Hillsboro Republican Grant Bosse today chided Democrat Paul Hodes for his vote to raise health insurance prices.  Hodes and fellow Democrat Carol Shea-Porter sided with Nancy Pelosi’s effort to increase health insurance mandates for mental illness.  

“When New Hampshire businesses and families are seeing health insurance costs rise by 10, 20 or even 25% each year, Paul Hodes voted to increase government mandates, limit consumer choice, and drive up costs,” Bosse said.  “The Pelosi bill will force health insurance providers to increase their premiums even more to pay for government mandates, or to eliminate mental health coverage entirely.  Paul Hodes has voted to make mental health coverage more expensive and harder to get.”  

Bosse issued his statement during a campaign stop at the Tilt’n Diner in Tilton.