Robust Public Health Insurance Option a Must

By Rep. Michael M. Honda, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

President Barack Obama declared at a healthcare town hall in New Hampshire that if we ignore the frightening realities of our present healthcare system, it is at great risk to every single American. While Republican leaders and opinion-makers have spent the past weeks peddling lies in a loud and ugly campaign to smear health insurance reform legislation, the consequences of continuing to live with our current healthcare system are, as our President has said, what is truly scary and what is truly risky.  The cornerstone of any healthcare legislation, if it is to truly provide affordable care for all, must include a public health insurance option.

Our current system is unaffordable and leaves the most vulnerable in our country at risk.  Premiums for healthcare coverage are rising three times faster than wages and Medicare will run out of money within the next ten years.  These skyrocketing health care costs threaten our families and businesses.  In 2007, 62 percent of U.S. bankruptcies were caused by medical costs, compared with 46 percent in 2001.  I support President Obama’s goal to ensure high quality affordable health for all.  A public health insurance option would drive costs down by forcing insurance companies to compete with an affordable high-quality option.

Our current system fails to provide coverage for 47 million people—including 8 million children. This failure to cover all further increases healthcare costs as the insured are less likely to regularly visit a doctor and to receive quality primary and preventative care. The uninsured have a 25 percent higher mortality risk than those insured, and higher rates of death from preventable illness. The public option would lower costs by increasing coverage and access to primary and preventative care.

Our current system is not competitive. The public option would increase patient choice and keep private insurers honest.  It would allow Americans happy with their current plans to keep them, but also provide a public health insurance option that would create competition against private insurers. Right now, insurance companies are making our healthcare decisions.  With a public option, American families would no longer have to worry about being driven into bankruptcy by medical bills, losing coverage if they lose their jobs, or being denied coverage by private insurers because of preexisting conditions.

As chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I have been working closely with my colleagues in the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Progressive Caucuses to ensure that the health needs of the most underserved and vulnerable populations in our country are met in health reform legislation. Of the members of these four caucuses, 60 have signed a letter to the leadership of the House of Representatives endorsing President Obama’s support for a public option, and pledging to vote for healthcare reform legislation only if it includes a robust public health insurance option.

Minority communities, such as the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, of which 21% is uninsured, are among those who stand to benefit from healthcare reform. Not only would healthcare reform with a robust public option ensure that more AAPIs are covered, but it would ensure that they are better served. For example, 39% of AAPIs are limited English proficient. When this population is unable to communicate with their doctors due to the lack of quality medical interpreters and translators, there are often devastating consequences, including misdiagnosis or mistreatment. As a result patients with limited English proficiency have reported less confidence in their doctors, felt less treated with respect by their doctors, and felt less involved in the decisions about their care compared to white Americans and English-speaking AAPIs. A robust public option that is sensitive to needs of the AAPI and other minority communities would challenge private insurers to follow suit.

Reforming our healthcare system is a matter of life or death for millions of Americans.  We already know that private providers and insurers have failed to meet the needs of millions of Americans, particularly vulnerable and underserved populations.  Congress must pass healthcare reform that includes a robust public option, and addresses the needs of our diverse communities.