August 21, 2009-Bismarck Tribune Editorial
08-21-2009: news-opinion
Putting consumers in charge
What should your health insurance cover? Given the cost? Fair questions.
Small groups of North Dakotans are taking part in an experiment that has them building insurance packages from scratch, choosing benefits from a menu that’s linked to cost. In the experiment, people are surveyed about “coverage for doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, eye exams and teeth cleanings.” Once the individual choices are made, the group then develops a list of benefits that covers the entire group.
This speaks to the mandates the North Dakota Legislature has placed on health insurance companies and policies offered in the state. It goes to the kind of possible policies in the “exchanges” being considered as a part of health care (insurance) reform. It puts the consumer in a stronger position in the discussion about what health care might look like in the future, in a very practical, grounded sort of way. This is a kind of health care discussion that makes sense.
Members of the state Legislature’s interim Industry, Business and Labor committee plan to go through the exercises when they meet next month.
The experiment, sponsored by the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner’s office, was used extensively in Montana to evaluate Insure Montana, which provides state subsidies for small businesses that want to buy insurance coverage. It has also been used in Minnesota. The experiment Choosing Healthplans All Together was developed by faculty members at the University of Michigan and the National Institute of Health.
Understanding how the benefits and costs within health insurance policies fit together gives consumers power. It sets the stage for choice. Too often people have to take the health insurance policy offered them, or that they can afford, without really addressing their needs. It’s something to keep in mind as the discussion goes forward.
And, it will be good for legislators to get a look at the consequences of mandates.
CHAT may be a gamish experiment, but what it can reveal seems important, especially during the present debate over health care reform. The Tribune has written that health care reform needs to control costs and decrease the number of people without insurance. So far on the national stage cost control has not gotten enough attention. The people who take part in the CHAT experiment will be addressing those cost issues head on.
The results of the North Dakota session should provide interesting fodder for discussion.
August 21, 2009-Fargo Forum
South Dakota insurance agent served cease-and-desist
North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm has served a cease-and-desist order on Floyd Sheridan, a Baltic, S.D., insurance agent accused of selling, soliciting or negotiating insurance to a Barnes County, N.D., resident.By: Forum staff reports, INFORUM
North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm has served a cease-and-desist order on Floyd Sheridan, a Baltic, S.D., insurance agent accused of selling, soliciting or negotiating insurance to a Barnes County, N.D., resident.
Sheridan is not licensed to sell insurance in North Dakota. The order bars him from engaging in the business of insurance until further notice.
Agents selling insurance to North Dakota residents are required by law to be licensed through the North Dakota Insurance Department.
Sheridan has a right to request an administrative hearing on the cease-and-desist order within 30 days of the date of the order.
Consumers can search for licensed insurance agents and companies at www.nd.gov/ndins.
August 21, 2009-Bismarck Tribune
08-21-2009: news-state
Sanford wants to offer insurance in N.D.
As Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health prepares to merge with Fargo, N.D.-based MeritCare, it also is seeking to offer health insurance in North Dakota.
Sanford has requested permission from the state Insurance Department. Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm says a review of the application will take two to three months.
He says there are a host of issues to look at, from what type of service would be offered to whether the company seeking permission has adequate staff.
Hamm says he wants to see North Dakota’s insurance market become more competitive. But he says he also wants the right type of companies in the state - those that will provide good service and will be around “for the long haul.”
Associated Press
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.”