Rep. Lopes pushes Arizona State Health Plan

Speaking about universal health care for Arizonans, Democratic minority leader of the State House Phil Lopes was joined by Sol Littman, a former Canadian who is knowledgeable about U.S. and Canadian health care, and Dr. Thomas Purdon, a Green Valley physician who is knowledgeable about U.S. health care.

The three spoke at a Green Valley League of Women Voters meeting Friday.

Lopes, D-Tucson, said his proposed health plan addresses two main problems—costs and the high number of Arizonans without health insurance.

Presenting a graphic example of health insurance costs, he said CEOs of three leading U.S. automakers met with President Bush and said they could not remain competitive in the U.S. if they had to continue their present health care costs. In 2005, automakers paid $11.2 billion in health care costs.

The same autos manufactured in Canada sell for $3,000 to $5,000 less than in the U.S. solely because of lower health care costs, Lopes said.

Lopes’ plan

The essence of Lopes’ plan is that Arizona becomes “the employer” to provide health insurance with a benefit package similar to that which state employees receive.

His proposal is to cover virtually everyone with the exception of active and retired military and federal retirees who get federal insurance. Those over 55 who have retired and are not yet eligible for Medicare would be assessed a premium.

How to cover undocumented workers is a challenge Lopes has included: He proposes Arizona signing a contract with officials of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico where most undocumented workers come from.

The Mexican government would pay Arizona a given amount of cents per dollar based on medical care given their citizens in the U.S.

Starting with a nine-member independent commission who would administrate the plan, once passed by the state Legislature, Lopes projects a three-year time frame to make contracts with Medicare, Medicaid and other parties and the plan fully in place in five years.

By pooling public and private monies Arizonans now get from Medicare, Medicaid, individual premiums and employer contributions into one pot, Lopes believes his system could be funded and provide “good health care with low overhead… a plan that is reasonable and income-based.”

Low overhead would be possible, he said, because of low administrative costs (one payer) and no advertising.

In the U.S., health insurance premiums have doubled in cost since 2000; in 2006, the average insurance premium increased by 7.7 percent.

Lopes said with his proposed plan, the rate at which medical costs have been rising would be slowed.

Canada’s medical system

A former editorial writer for the Toronto Daily Star and now a Tucsonian, Sol Littman led with some surprising statements: the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. is due to Americans not being able to pay their medical bills; per capita, Canada spends one half of what the U.S. spends on health care, and on average Canadians live three to four years longer than Americans.

Health care, drugs and hospitals are more expensive in the U.S. than any other Western country, and that is why 45 million U.S. citizens are without health insurance; they simply can’t afford it, Littman said.

Admitting there is excellent medical care in Tucson, he said it’s also very complicated. Presenting one page of printed “2007 Benefit Changes” from one health insurance plan, he said, “You can’t figure it out. There are barriers and barricades… We need a single payer, universal, government-funded system to get anywhere… health services in Canada are delivered by need, not rationed by dollars.”

Purdon’s points

Speaking about the U.S. health system, Thomas Purdon, an OB/GYN with United Community Health Care at the Continental Family Health Center in Green Valley, said, “U.S. health care system is in true chaos—financially and politically” adding that Americans who have health insurance have too much insurance.

To remedy the current chaotic health care system in the U.S., Purdon proposes higher deductibles, fostering competition, reforming Medicaid and Medicare, fixing prescription drug prices by being able to negotiate with drug companies and changing the role of the Food and Drug Administration.

Comparing the national doctor-to-patient ratio with that of Arizona, Purdon said nationally there are 283 physicians per 100,000 people versus 207 per 100,000 in Arizona. He cited high costs of professional liability for causing doctors in Arizona to leave the state.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.