By Alisha R. Bell
Thirty years ago, Wayne County faced an enormous financial crisis brought about by its runaway indigent health care costs. Back then, the uninsured were often forced to wait until their health condition became chronic before seeking treatment in the local emergency rooms, where costs were very expensive and uncontrollable. And Wayne County would get stuck with the bill.
The situation brought Wayne County to the brink of bankruptcy and almost crashed a few local hospitals. State and county leaders and businesses knew that something had to give. That’s when they joined forces and created Wayne County HealthChoice, a three-pay system that gave the working poor a means to go seek treatment at doctor’s offices for minor health problems before they became severe.
Today, the Wayne County HealthChoice program remains a national model for creating a health care safety net for the working poor and others who lack health care coverage.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has obviously created a new health care coverage challenge that has impacted local hospitals, emergency rooms, doctors and health care providers, employers, insurance companies and local government agencies.
One discussion about our health care crisis centers on creating a national public option similar to what other countries have embraced.
There are both pluses and minuses to the public option. Some analysts estimate that our health systems, which have already lost $50 billion this year because of COVID, would lose another $30 billion if national health care were adopted.
The price tag hits others besides the hospitals. The big health care insurers would drop private and employer-sponsored plans since they wouldn’t be able to compete with the Federal government. And employees would likely get hit with additional payroll taxes to help fund a national system.
There are elements of the public option that I support, such as providing universal coverage for every American. But I believe people who are working and like their insurance should be able to keep it. Also, the uninsured and underinsured should have options to select ACA health care exchanges.
The basic tenets that have defined HealthChoice for more than three decades — improving health care access, expanding coverage, and lowering costs for Michigan consumers and businesses alike – form a foundation we can enhance, not totally replace.
HealthChoice built partnerships with local employers and an extensive network of the top physicians and hospitals in the metro Detroit region to develop flexible, comprehensive plans that cover highly individualized needs. It’s an approach that can continue working through continued collaboration between all of our stakeholders.
Alisha Bell is Chair of the Wayne County Commission and of Wayne County HealthChoice, as we well as the past president of the National Association of Black County Officials.
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