’)First, let’s be clear that I’m personally happy that Rush Limbaugh is in good condition and came through his scare beautifully. Let’s also be clear: Limbaugh is touting his experience as evidence that no changes are needed to our health care system (h/t Polijam)
But important to note is that Hawaii has been a leader in health care reform, having instituted the kind of reforms Limbaugh has railed against. Ninety percent of the population has relatively generous benefits, and reform in that state has led the way to innovation.
…the Hawaii experience suggests that overhauling health insurance before changing the way care is provided could work, eventually. With more people given access to care, hospital and insurance executives in Hawaii say they have been able to innovate efficiencies.
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One result of Hawaii’s employer mandate and the relatively high number of people with health insurance is that hospital emergency rooms in the state are islands of relative calm.
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Hawaii law requires employers to offer standardized health plans with low co-pays, no deductibles and few out-of-pocket costs. Cliff Cisco, a senior vice president at the Hawaii Medical Service Association, said that having a standardized and popular benefit has helped keep administrative costs to just 7 percent of revenue, among the lowest in the nation.
