July 25, 2009-Minot Daily News
Department wants to CHAT about insurance
By JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Which health services should be part of a basic health insurance package dental care, pharmacy benefits, rehabilitation, health screenings?
The North Dakota Insurance Department is asking people to weigh in with their opinions.
The department is looking for state residents to participate in Choosing Health Plans All Together, which uses an online questionnaire and group meetings to garner input. The study opens July 27 so people need to sign up soon.
Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm said the 2009 Legislature directed his department to study the needs of the uninsured and under-insured in North Dakota, setting aside funding for the project. The department is investing between $10,000 and $13,000 in the study, which uses the CHAT program developed through the University of Michigan.
“This is an opportunity for folks to have their say as to what they feel should be part of a basic health insurance plan,” Hamm said. “The ultimate objective is not for the department to take these findings and build our own health insurance plan. Our objective is to find out what’s important to North Dakota and convey that to the stakeholders in North Dakota.”
Stakeholders include legislators, insurers and health-care providers.
People who participate online will engage in an Internet activity that takes 20 to 30 minutes, Hamm said.
They will be faced with a pie chart of health-care choices. They will select 50 options from within three tiers of choices to develop a basic health coverage plan. They then will be presented with scenarios in which they would have to rely on that coverage. They will be able to adjust their plan priorities before submitting their recommendations for a basic health-care plan.
A limited number of people who indicate an interest in participating in group discussions will be selected to attend meetings being held at 13 locations around the state. Meetings are scheduled for Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. in Williston, Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. in Minot, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. in Bottineau and Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. in Harvey.
The department is seeking participants from a variety of backgrounds, including students, single working people, employers, parents, unemployed people and uninsured people. About 8 percent of North Dakota’s population is uninsured, Hamm said.
Eight to 15 people will be selected to participate at each of the 13 locations. Participants will complete an individual exercise similar to the online exercise but then will engage in a similar activity as a group. The sessions last 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
To register to participate online, people can call 1-800-247-0560 or go to the Insurance Department Web site at (www.nd.gov/ndins) and click on the CHAT logo. Once the online study opens, people will have until Aug. 14 to complete it. People also can indicate when they register whether they would be willing to participate in a group setting.
Hamm said the department ran test groups in Bismarck and found the exercise to be a fascinating look at different viewpoints.
“To me, the most important thing you will learn when you go through this is how much things do cost, and there is no way to get everything if you are going to build a basic insurance plan,” he said. “It will give folks a better understanding of health insurance.”