Audit: State never implemented health care program for businesses
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A program created by Wisconsin lawmakers in 1999 to reduce health care costs for small businesses was never implemented.
The Legislative Audit Bureau says the program was canceled after insurers weren't interested in participating.
Auditors say the state spent more than $470,000 before abandoning the effort in 2003.
The law directed state agencies to create a voluntary health insurance pool for small businesses. The goal was try to reduce health care costs and the number of uninsured Wisconsin residents.
But no companies responded to the state's request for proposals. Insurers were worried the program would attract a large amount of individuals with expensive health care needs.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Nov 16, 2007 at 10:31 a.m.
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If insurance companies want to operate in the State of Wisconsin they need to be held accountable for providing coverage to everyone in the state at a fair and non-discriminatory rate. Health insurance is too important to allow companies to cherry-pick only the most healthy and use higher rates to discriminate against all others. This basically establishes a license to steal because the companies know that very few of the people who pay premiums or have the premiums paid for them will ever collect a benefit and if they do, they can always raise their rates to get rid of them. You say that the companies can't do that? They can and do with the blessings of our state legislature. If anyone is interested in knowing, ask me how.
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