Jeanette Der Bedrosian, The Examiner
2008-05-03 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Health professionals and District residents on Friday urged the D.C. Council to back proposed legislation that would ensure all D.C. residents have health insurance.

Council members also indicated their support for some sort of legislation to provide universal health coverage during a hearing on the bill Friday, though some participants also brought up concerns about the logistics of the plan.

The Healthy D.C. Act of 2008 would require uninsured residents to pay between $20 and $100 a month to register for health insurance through a chosen provider. The act would affect residents who earn too much to qualify for the D.C. Healthcare Alliance's free health care coverage, but not enough to pay for conventional health insurance plans. Those who refuse to obtain health insurance would be fined $250 annually.

Critics of the plan said the act would eliminate competition within the insurance industry and cause employers to decrease current benefit packages. They also said the proposal lacks effective penalties for those who stay uninsured.

Still, scores of District residents and leaders of local health organizations spoke fervently in favor of Healthy D.C.

Patricia Jaby is one such resident. A 56-year-old U.S. Postal Service employee, Jaby suffers from lupus. She told council members she supports the plan because she will have to quit her job this summer in order to stay below the salary requirement that allows her to have medical insurance through the Healthcare Alliance.

"You're precisely the reason I want to go forward with this," said Councilman David Catania, D-at large, who proposed the bill. "You're a perfect demonstration of the choices people have to make in order to stay well," he said.

Healthy D.C. would be subsidized through the doubling of the cigarette tax to $2 per pack, an increase on taxes on Health Maintenance Organizations and a "modest" increase on the premium tax on commercial insurers.