email: info@rihealthcare.org

phone: 401-655-1446 

© 2019 RI Healthcare Access & Affordability Partnership

research & legislation

The Problem: Our expensive, inefficient health insurance system 

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​•    Between 1991 and 2014, health care spending in RI per person rose by over 250% – rising much faster than income – greatly reducing disposable income. 
•    62% of personal bankruptcies were medical cost related and of these, 78% had health insurance at the time of their bankruptcy. 
•    Health care is “rationed” under our current multi-payer system, despite the fact that Rhode Islanders already pay enough money to have comprehensive and universal health insurance under a single-payer system. 
•    The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) cannot control rising premiums, co-pays, deductibles and medical costs, nor prevent private insurance companies from continuing to limit available providers and coverage. 
•    Fully implemented, the ACA will still leave 4% of Rhode Islanders without insurance – resulting in as many as 116 Rhode Islanders dying unnecessarily from lack of insurance each year. 

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The Solution: RI Single Payer 

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•    Provides comprehensive health care coverage to all Rhode Island residents. 
•    Improves access to health care. 
•    Saves approximately $4000 per resident per year by 2024 and puts more money into the Rhode Island economy. 
•    Significantly reduces administrative costs (almost $1 billion in the first year) and shifts these dollars to actual provision of health care. 
•    Decreases provider administrative burdens and allows them to spend more time providing health care. 
•    Establishes a funding system that is public and progressive. 
•    Eliminates health insurance costs and administrative obligations on Rhode Island businesses and make them more competitive and profitable (e.g., in the first year, payroll contributions to a single payer plan would be over $1.2 billion less than current private health insurance premiums). 
•    Contains health care costs (reduced administration and control over monopolistic pricing) and saves 23% of current expenditures in the first year with larger savings in subsequent years. 
•    Creates a significant economic stimulus for the state by attracting businesses to and keeping businesses in Rhode Island because of reduced health insurance costs. 

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