To the editor:

Attorney General Peter Neronha recently announced several important actions related to healthcare that seek to address the problems facing our state and all RI citizens. These are important initial steps but need to be carried further.

Sen. Linda Ujifusa (Bristol-Portsmouth) has, since becoming a legislator, been pushing for a comprehensive examination of all intermediary Benefits Manager contracts, including those managing pharmaceuticals. As AG Neronha points out, these managers raise the cost of healthcare, a cost which also increases the state’s healthcare expenditures. Neighboring states have eliminated these middlemen resulting in considerable budgetary savings. It’s time RI does the same – but in a comprehensive manner as Sen. Ujifusa has proposed.

AG Neronha also said in his announcement that the state needs to look seriously at a state-based coverage system (often called “single-payer”) that would benefit every RI citizen. More than a decade ago, Ms. Ujifusa, Dr. J. M. Ryan and I wrote legislation for such a system. The accompanying economic analysis for the proposed statewide single-payer system showed that it is not only feasible but would produce immediate and significant savings for every RI family. This legislation, which was introduced several years running but couldn’t get enough Finance Committee support to reach the floor because it challenged powerful insurance interests, also addressed another of AG Neronha’s points: that low Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates hurt RI doctors and hospitals, potentially forcing them to reduce healthcare accessibility or encourage them to leave the state. That possibility only increases the scope and severity of the “crisis” that AG Neronha spoke of.

RI needs to rein in the costs of healthcare and the impact on the budget and to increase healthcare accessibility with the universal coverage of a state-based, single-payer program. It is crucial for everyone to voice their support for AG Neronha’s healthcare actions and to press our legislators to support even greater initiatives.

Howard Rotblat-Walker
Bristol