by: Christine Zafra
The national healthcare system of Kenya has been in the dumps four years ago. It has failed and has not given fellow Kenyans the health care that they needed. There was actually a go signal from the government to resume the program this coming July but due to the post election violence, problems surfaced. The government has been brainstorming about the possibility of giving Kenyans the lowest possible rate for health care. They also hope to bridge social, cultural and other aspects of Kenyan living through this project (bring health care to everyone).
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Although there is an increase in utilization and higher costs, the rate of growth of health insurance premiums is still reducing. According to a study, even if the premiums increased by 8.8 percent between year 2004 and 2005, it is still 36 percent lower compared to the 13.7 percent increase in the same study found in year 2002. Research also shows that 43 percent of the increase is because of the higher utilization of services, the factors of which are the increase in consumer demands, aging and unhealthy lifestyle, and the latest medical treatments. Recent reports stated that 86 cents from every dollar paid on premiums are directed towards paying for medical services.
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In 2007, Ohio was the 29th healthiest state where you can live in. However, this statistic already fell slightly compared to 2006, when it was the 24th healthiest state. Although it shone in certain areas such as a high percentage of women receiving prenatal care, a significant decrease in infectious disease, and a drop in death rate, it still struggles in some health areas – it ranks 43rd for obesity, 43rd for cancer deaths, 40th for infant mortality rates and 40th for preventable hospitalizations.
With these kinds of challenges, it is very important for the residents of Ohio to be covered by health insurance.
Lawmakers looking into solutions in lessening the number of uninsured are looking at tax credits to provide effective health insurance to the uninsured. Government intervention and assistance will be required in order to meet the goal to provide health insurance to the low-income workers and their dependents.
Tax credits, although modest, will allow people to avail of health insurance coverage that is both comprehensive and affordable. Tax credits can purchase benefits relevant to a population both geographically and demographically. Continuous development of tax credits and reevaluation of current insurance regulations is one key way to help expand health insurance coverage to a large number of uninsured.
By year end of 2006, the number of uninsured Americans increased by 2.1 million which brings the total number of uninsured non-elderly Americans to 46.5 million. With employer based coverage dropping and premium payments rising, many Americans of different income levels are caught in a bind. Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program may help to cover lower income children who lost access to employer based coverage; the same cannot be said with those belonging to middle income families where Medicaid and SCHIP is in short supply. Majority of the increase in uninsured children come from the income levels between 200 percent and 399 percent of the federal poverty level.