Foster Public-Private Coverage Solutions - What the Government Should Do - Attract The 'Opt Outs'

Educate Americans about the Importance of Being Insured

To encourage all Americans to purchase coverage, the government and the private sector should partner to launch a broad-based educational campaign on the importance of insurance, the risks - both health and financial - associated with being uninsured and the options available in the marketplace. This initiative would tailor its messages to key uninsured populations. Our health insurance system works best when everyone is enrolled. That means more people participating in the benefits and sharing the costs.

How it might work

Mark is a 25-year-old accountant who earns $65,000 per year and lives in Houston. He grew up in Denmark but moved to the U.S. to attend college. While his employer offers health insurance and contributes to the cost of coverage, Mark declined the coverage in favor of higher retirement contributions. Under this initiative, Mark might be encouraged to enroll in his employer’s health plan after listening to a program that highlighted the risks of remaining uninsured, such as the cost of a sudden illness or accident.

Other Initiatives to Help Higher Income Individuals

Other initiatives described in this booklet also would help the higher-income uninsured. For example, BCBSA's recommendation that individuals who lack access to employer coverage be allowed to deduct the full cost of individual health insurance when filing taxes also would be beneficial to higher income individuals.