Two separate bills before the House Corporation Committee would require legislators to do a cost analysis before enacting a mandate related to health care. One of them would set up a mandate review panel made up of health care experts and academics.
Rhode Island’s two major insurers, Blue Cross & Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare – along with the National Federation of Independent Business – like the idea of examining the financial impact of health care mandates before enacting them.
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So do we.
Legislated mandates have become an increasingly difficult burden for small businesses to bear.
Rising health care costs are suffocating small businesses. In many cases, business owners are forced to reduce the scope of benefits they offer employees, to drop coverage altogether – or to simply reduce the number of workers on their payroll.
Each legislative session, without fail, there are proposals to mandate specialized insurance coverage. This one is no exception.
We commend representatives Rene R. Menard, a Lincoln Democrat, and Raymond C. Church, a North Smithfield Democrat, for sponsoring bills that could slow what has become a disturbing – and expensive – trend. The lawmakers present a strong case for common sense in calling for a serious review of mandates to better gauge whether they are in fact necessary – and at what cost.
“We don’t know what a mandate truly costs,” said Menard. “We do know our health care is out of sight.”
The mandate review proposals should not be seen as a way of cutting back on important health care measures that insurers should be required to cover. Menard, for example, is the author of an existing mandate, one that requires coverage for meningitis immunization. Some mandates – like breast cancer screenings – are reasonable and we would expect them to pass muster with a review panel.
But others may be contributing unnecessarily to the rising cost of health insurance; the only way to know that is to take a closer, more pragmatic look at them.
Providence making a better grade
Back when we were all in school, the difference between an A and an A- may not have seemed to be such a big deal. But to the city of Providence, it is.
Last week came word that Standard & Poor’s, the municipal credit-rating agency, has upgraded Providence’s rating to A from A-.
From a practical perspective, this grade change is a big deal. It should allow the city to borrow money at a lower rate. Equally important, it reinforces an important message to potential developers and investors. Providence, in fact, is moving in the right direction.
