Delaware General Assembly

House Economic Development/Banking & Insurance 6/12/02

The General Assembly has ended, the current status is the final status.

6/12/02

D.P. Williams

Reps. Caulk, Keeley

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE.

This Delaware Health Security Act will provide all current and future Delaware citizens and our economy a non-government run program and cost effective single payer health care system. This system eliminates unnecessary multi-payer brokers and will save approximately 40 percent of total funds now wasted by paperwork, profits, advertising, lobbying, fraud, etc. These annual savings and a stabilized funding structure with accountable budgets will enable our state to provide the following health care benefits to all citizens and our state's economy: Comprehensive health care coverage (physicians and specialists, hospital needs, long-term care, pharmaceutical drugs, dental care, mental health, drug rehabilitation, special equipment and aids, etc.) from conception until death without any extra health insurance or out-of-pocket expense. Eliminates the huge double-digit annual increases in health care costs; only the rate of inflation will apply. Will return health care decision-making to physicians, dentists and other health care professional staff. Eliminates the pauper requirement that one must give up all savings and property before receiving Medicare/Medicaid funds for long-term care. Will eliminate huge health care debts, major cause of personal bankruptcies and the ability to buy a home. Will eliminate the destructive, debilitating effects of chronic stress on our uninsured, underinsured and their families. Will significantly elevate our ranking of from 45th or lower among states on health care challenges such as well babies, women's health, cancer, etc. Personal health care savings will add $1 billion annually to our state's economy. This Act will be administered by a 15-member Delaware Health Security Board comprised as follows: State Secretary of Health and Social Services, appointed by the Governor; Two members from both the State House of Representatives and State Senate Committees concerned with health care issues; five members from state health professional organizations and five members from eligible consumer organizations in our state. There will be a County Advisory Council in each of our state's three counties. The appointments and membership will be from the same sources as the State Health Security Board with the requirement that all Council members must be residents of the county they serve. These County Advisory Councils will work with and through the State's Board in more effectively implementing the planning, operation and evaluation of the Delaware Health Security Act. Funding for the Delaware Health Security Act will be as follows: All State and federal funds available for health and health care costs in Delaware. Employer and employee graduated payroll tax of from 2% for self-employed individuals to 9% for businesses with 50 or more employees. A Health Security Tax of 2.5% on net taxable income for all heads of households and persons subject to Delaware's income tax. An additional Health Security income surtax on net taxable income of 2.5% for persons filing a Delaware income tax return in excess of $250,000. Married couples filing a joint Delaware income tax return shall pay an additional income surtax of 2.5% on net taxable income in excess of $500,000. The most important overall result from enacting this systemic health care reform legislation is that adequate initial and continuous funding is available to halt the deterioration of our current health care situation. Ample funds will be available for additional facilities, staffing, program improvement and both pre-service and continuing education investments.

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