Rep. Raussen releases health care reform bill

Rep. Jim Raussen, R-Springdale and chairman of the House's Health Care Access and Affordability committee, has released preliminary information on his health care reform bill. (Source: "Legislator proposes subsidies to expand health coverage," Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 29, 2008.) The bill would, among other things, subsidize claims of more than $15,000 a year for certain chronic diseases, require insurance companies to cover those claims, subsidize coverage for small companies, make it easier for children to be covered on their parents' policy, and provide incentives for doctors and hospitals to computerize records. According to Rep. Raussen, the bill has the support of Republican leaders in Columbus, would cost between $150 million to $500 million over the next six years, and would cover more than 600,000 of the estimated 1.3 million Ohioans who don't currently have health insurance.