POINT | South Dakotans need healthcare, not red tape from Amendment F
Guest column by Jill Franken
During my health care career, which spanned more than 35 years in both the hospital and public health settings, I saw too many South Dakotans struggling with chronic conditions, trying to navigate the healthcare system and dealing with the burden of health care expenses. However, I also saw one thing that could provide at least a little peace of mind for them – access to health care coverage.
But now, Amendment F threatens the health and well-being of countless South Dakotans. This amendment, if passed, would strip away essential health care coverage from those who need it most, creating unnecessary barriers and bureaucratic red tape that would leave many without the care they need.
Health insurance is crucial for everyone, regardless of their job or income level. Many in our state work in positions that do not offer health insurance, forcing them to choose between life-saving care and basic necessities. Amendment F would remove health care coverage from individuals who are too young for Medicare but cannot afford private insurance.
I currently serve as the volunteer state president for AARP South Dakota, where I have an opportunity to further their mission of empowering people to choose how they want to live as they age. Having health insurance is particularly important for those ages 50 to 64, given their increased risk of developing chronic conditions. Any disruption in health coverage can have a significant impact on these South Dakotans because of those health risks.
A recent report from the AARP Policy Institute revealed that nearly 2 million adults in the U.S. ages 50 to 64 are losing Medicaid health care coverage from post-pandemic disenrollments. That report highlighted that “administrative factors” are behind most disenrollments, causing people who may still be fully eligible for Medicaid health care to lose their coverage.
Amendment F establishes new, unspecified regulations for accessing health care, without telling us what those regulations will actually be. In other words, it creates more opportunities for “administrative factors” to cause people to lose their health care coverage when they need it the most.
South Dakotans voted to expand Medicaid with no restrictions in 2022 because they understood the importance of accessible health care for healthier communities and a healthier state.
Amendment F is a step backward for South Dakota. We need health care, not more red tape.
Jill Franken is the volunteer state president for AARP South Dakota. She retired as public health director for the city of Sioux Falls in 2021, where she also served as the executive director of Falls Community Health.
Great comments Jill!
Let’s not punish sick people.
The solution lies in working with the state and Feds to allow for smaller groups to pool and purchase group insurance; as well as encouraging other insurance companies to sell plans in South Dakota. Sanford and Avera seem to be the only readily available policies.
Insofar as small groups or small businesses? South Dakota has a substantial majority of its residents residing in rural areas. Small towns and farmers seem the hardest hit by the provider gap. Focusing on helping these areas garner more access to a wider pool of providers via pooling creates more competition and leads to a better overall marketplace.
Government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are a hand up and should not be treated as a hand out. Further, the hugely onerous administrative burden of applying for them processing claims under these programs means individuals remain at risk of incurring substantial debt before payments are made to providers.
Providers are loathe to accept these programs due to the mystically developed reimbursement rates, often well below
Market demands and woefully behind inflation.
There are better ways already proven to work. If the State wants to be pragmatic in its tax dollar investment then it would pursue options which create long term individual benefit without substantially increasing the tax burden on all South Dakotans. Residents are already getting hammered on property taxes and insidious things like sales taxes on groceries. Stop grinding residents into the ground one penny at a time and look to more pragmatic solutions where residents can choose the solutions that work.