Comments on: “Why Raise the Cost of Health Care Coverage?” by Bruce Bullen http://commonhealth.wbur.org/harvard-pilgrim-health-care/2008/06/why-raise-the-cost-of-health-care-coverage-by-bruce-bullen/ CommonHealth Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:13:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: ML Sudders http://commonhealth.wbur.org/harvard-pilgrim-health-care/2008/06/why-raise-the-cost-of-health-care-coverage-by-bruce-bullen/comment-page-1/#comment-7592 ML Sudders Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:29:56 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/weblogs/commonhealth/?p=517#comment-7592 On the surface, the call for a full moratorium on any new insurance mandate is simple and exudes common sense. But, as the two recently released Commonwealth reports attest, it is not mandates that are the driver in escalating insurance premiums and health care costs. As an employer with 700 staff and family members covered, we have experienced double-digit increases. Our medical expense utilization trend reports detail year after year, that the most costly inpatient expense is surgery; mental health and substance abuse is second to last. And on the outpatient side, radiology diagnostic is $14.62 pmpm as compared to mental health and substance abuse at 43 cents. Treatment of mental illness and substance abuse is not the escalator in insurance costs. In this swirling debate about costs, the discussion shouldn't be focussed disproportionately on proposed mandates. HB4423 (the full mental health parity bill) should pass now. It is not about abandoning fiscal responsibility; it is about ending the longstanding discrimination by insurance and the health care industry. On the surface, the call for a full moratorium on any new insurance mandate is simple and exudes common sense. But, as the two recently released Commonwealth reports attest, it is not mandates that are the driver in escalating insurance premiums and health care costs. As an employer with 700 staff and family members covered, we have experienced double-digit increases. Our medical expense utilization trend reports detail year after year, that the most costly inpatient expense is surgery; mental health and substance abuse is second to last. And on the outpatient side, radiology diagnostic is $14.62 pmpm as compared to mental health and substance abuse at 43 cents. Treatment of mental illness and substance abuse is not the escalator in insurance costs. In this swirling debate about costs, the discussion shouldn’t be focussed disproportionately on proposed mandates. HB4423 (the full mental health parity bill) should pass now. It is not about abandoning fiscal responsibility; it is about ending the longstanding discrimination by insurance and the health care industry.

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