A few days ago, a security alarm in a U.S. Senate building sent senators scurrying for safety. Fortunately, it was a false alarm and soon the all-clear sign was given. But the incident brought to mind other Capitol Hill alarms that have long been warning lawmakers of a dangerous threat to the health and safety of millions of Americans. Yet these pleas have gone almost unheeded.
For years, America's small businesses have been signaling that uncontrollable health insurance costs are bearing down on them like a runaway freight train. They've warned that a collision is inevitable because the nation's health insurance system has them tied fast to a system that leaves few options for escape.
Amazingly, the House of Representatives is so attuned to the emergency that it has tried to clear the path. The House has passed legislation eight times authorizing Small-Business Health Plans (SBHPs) to operate across state lines to offer small firms the opportunity to band together through bona fide trade and professlonal associations to purchase affordable health benefits. By participating in a SBHP, small-business owners take advantage of the group's bargaining power, economies of scale and administrative efficiencies.
Unfortunately, on the Senate side of Capitol Hill, even though several free-enterprise-friendly senators have attempted to bring the issue up for consideration, no action has been taken to prevent the crash. But now, clear evidence is ringing out with a sound more akin to the clanging of a slot machine that's just hit the jackpot. It's heralding the arrival of conclusive evidence that SBHPs can truly be a cash-saving solution.
Virtually all familiar with the health insurance cost explosion know that one sure way to reduce the bounding rise of premiums is to reduce the costs of administering health insurance plans. All those accounting services, audits, case management tasks and enrollment functions quickly add up.
But a new study by the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation clearly points the way to a viable healthcare solution. Researchers examining SBHPs analyzed factors such as administrative costs and functions and the plan executives' analysis of their plans compared to other traditional plans. The research also looked at the competitive dynamics of the health insurance market.
Researchers found that SBHPs were significantly less costly than traditional health-management or preferred-provided organizations - 14 percent less costly, In fact - because the SBHPs achieved lower administrative costs due to skillful combination of in-sourcing and out-sourcing practices.
Participants in SBHPs chose to in-source sales and marketing functions and out-source others, such as accounting, case management and claims adjudication. The effective management of the administrative functions of health insurance allows SBHPs to keep costs to a minimum for employers and their employees.
This research sounds an all-clear signal for the U.S. Senate to get to work to pass legislation to authorize these efficient and cost-effective plans to function nationwide. Doing so will give small businesses an affordable opportunity to offer health coverage to employees, in addition to improving the overall health care market by introducing new competition.
Jack Faris is the president of NFIB (the National Federation of Independent Business), the nation's largest small-business advocacy group. A non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its 600,000 members in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. More information is available on-line at www.NFIB.org.
