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March 07, 2006 at 06:32 AM
A “just do nothing” approach to health care tax issues is one sure way to arrive at national health care, cautioned Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine during the spring meeting of the NAIC here.
A federally run health insurance system “would be the worst thing that could happen to our children and grandchildren,” he maintained. He made the remarks during a session of the NAIC’s tax policy working group.
Part of the answer is to get the American people to buy into health insurance and realize the $15 co-pay in many cases does not come near to covering the cost of insurance, Oxendine said.
“The American family is totally out of touch,” he said. “Mom and dad can manage their care better than insurance executives.” They need the financial incentives to do that, he added.
He suggested that can come in the form of tax incentives to help families fund health savings accounts and other kinds of health care savings programs, he said.
“We need to support any consumer-driven product,” he said. In Georgia, a bill that would exempt HSAs from state premium taxes is among such legislation being pursued, he noted.
