Low-cost health insurance vital

Thursday, May 05, 2005

By Sandra Barbier

St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

A 10-parish survey by the Metro Chamber Alliance showed that 79 percent of 200 small-business owners questioned have never offered health insurance to their employees, and 19 percent of 200 uninsured residents have never seen a doctor on a regular basis.



Alliance officials said Tuesday that the results underscored a need to create a low-cost health insurance alternative for small and medium-size member businesses that do not have employee health insurance.



The lack of health coverage affects "our economy, our health, and . . . social issues," said Erness Wright-Irvin, the area field coordinator for Cover the Uninsured Week, a nationwide drive to address the plight of the 45 million Americans without health insurance. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said Louisiana has the second-highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, she said.



As part of Cover the Uninsured Week, which runs through Sunday, a health fair will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Forest Plaza, 5700 Read Blvd., where a variety of free health screenings will be available. Representatives of major drug manufacturers will be at the fair to register those eligible for discounted medicines, Wright-Irvin said. Drug companies are targeting people who meet their low-income guidelines, a group that includes 612,000 Louisianians, she said.



Among the health-care alternatives being investigated by the Alliance is a "three-share" plan that would reduce medical care costs for participants, said Sandra Gunner, chief executive officer of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.



The Alliance is applying for a Healthy Communities Access Grant through the Louisiana Public Health Institute that would help pay a $120 monthly premium for employees in the program. With the grant, employers and employees each pay a third of the cost, or about $40 each.



The Alliance is looking at other options as well, and it wants to be a clearinghouse on insurance information for employers and workers, especially so it can help employees manage their individual health programs, Gunner said.



At a news conference Tuesday, St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce Chairman E.J. Laviolette Jr. said the Alliance is working to galvanize support for an alternative health-care program. Among the biggest obstacles, he said, is educating employees to appreciate the value of insurance after they have lived for so long without it.



Among the consequences are employees who wait too long before getting medical care and end up with more serious conditions. They typically go to a hospital emergency room, where the cost is several times greater than the cost of a doctor visit, he said.



Laviolette said the Alliance survey indicated that most small-business owners and employees would be willing to pay insurance premiums if they were "reasonable and affordable."



The Metro Chamber Alliance comprises chambers of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Washington, Tangipahoa and St. James parishes.