08/06/2009
Letter from Jonathan Hensley
I have been meeting with a number of business partners in the community, and the topic of health care reform is at the forefront of many discussions. I recently attended a Health Care Reform panel that Senator Maria Cantwell organized. At that panel we discussed health care reform and focused on what Congress is doing to reform America's health care system. The information shared during this session helped all of us understand the complexity of the issues at hand.
Health care reform is at the center of debate in Washington, D.C. In light of the fact that no clear answers yet exist as to how to achieve a working system or rein in runaway health care costs, we recognize the need to take action and support ongoing commitments to educate consumers about the real costs of health care and about how the choices they make each day impact those costs.
According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 46 million Americans lack health insurance. That figure is often cited as evidence that health care is inaccessible to a large number of people in the United States.
Too often, people forego health insurance because it costs too much. Coverage costs are directly related to health care costs, since more than 87 cents of every premium dollar is used to pay claims. Insurance costs are high because health care itself costs too much. Each of us has a stake in understanding and doing something about the underlying costs of health care in America because if all we do is expand health care coverage (the cornerstone of most health reform proposals), health care costs will continue to balloon until our health care system explodes.
Regence's ongoing commitment is to educate consumers about the real costs of health care and about how the choices they make each day impact those costs. Therefore, as part of a Consumer Cost Education campaign, Regence has launched the newly revamped, interactive www.WhatsTheRealCost.org Web site.
Additionally, Regence has initiated a Web-based advocacy campaign through our Issue and Advocacy Center.
Help us make a difference in health care and make your voice heard by spreading ongoing messages about health care costs and the components that drive them by questioning and getting others to ask, "What is the real cost?"
I'm interested in your thoughts on national health care reform. Please email your opinion to us.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Hensley
President
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