Health insurance premiums are again on the rise. National reports say so, and so does this week’s Providence Business News’ executive poll. While a few companies or organizations suggest that their increase will not top 5 percent, most are looking at increases above 11 percent, many 16 percent and above, and even some over 30 percent.
Health care costs continue to be a significant burden on employers, who are hard pressed to cut back as they try to attract quality employees in a tight labor market.
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This has been a year in Rhode Island in which we have encountered nurses’ strikes — and other threatened labor action, suffered the loss of a major health insurer — Harvard Health — and saw efforts at further hospital consolidations fail. The Care New England-Lifespan merger eventually was withdrawn when the elongated process seemed headed for rejection.
For awhile it appeared that our state government would become a significant player in trying to bring about health care reform, but instead it has mostly been a spectator as the marketplace has dictated events.
These latest developments, the continued double digit health insurance increases, needs once again to ignite some urgency in our state government, legislature and administration, to squarely address health care issues and find a way to keep costs in check, while assuring quality care.
Health care providers, including insurers, will maintain the status quo as long as the bills are paid, with little incentive to seek reform. Only with strong government leadership can we truly seek the solutions that will lead to a quality system that is also affordable.
