R.I.'s "Better Than Nothing" Health Insurance

There are two new health insurance offerings for small business winding their way through the Lege. One comes from the guv's new health insurance commissioner, Koller:

" [It] targets employers who are in danger of dropping coverage as premiums rise. It limits the premium to 10 percent of the average Rhode Island wage, which computes to a monthly premium of $314 for an individual.
....'WellCare', name coined by Governor Carcieri — will force subscribers to pursue “wellness initiatives” to avoid high out-of-pocket costs. The initiatives include maintaining a healthy weight or participating in a weight-management program and remaining smoke free or participating in a stop-smoking program."
Of course, no one yet discusses the results of your not being sucessful in maintaining a healthy weight or not stopping smoking (like either of these are cures). And as of yet no health insurance program has signed on to offer this plan.

"Rep.Costantino’s bill (he is Chair of House Finance Com.) aims to push premiums even lower — 7.5 percent of the average wage, or $240 a month, for an individual plan — to draw in employers who don’t currently offer insurance. The cost of the insurance policy — the combined amount paid by employer and employee — would be $3,000 for an individual and $7,200 for a family, roughly half the cost of insurance policies currently available in Rhode Island.

Costantino’s bill would achieve cost savings through increased flexibility [read this as 'it's not covered']. Over the years, lawmakers have built up a list of mandates — things insurers are required to cover...: hearing aids, contraception, mammograms, pap smears and infertility treatment. (Many of the mandates specify a minimum level of coverage...) Costantino’s bill would free insurers from all those mandates."

He does have companies willing to provide this coverage (I wonder exactly what it does cover?).
Both of these bills are touted as "they're better than nothing." So is a first aid kit. The former says that if you're not healthy it's your fault. The latter offers a bandaid as being at least something. Surely, we can do better. We must do better. Most Americans in recent surveys believe that health care is the government's responsibility. Offering products that are, "Better than nothing!" (can you see that in the promo lit.?) aren't much to be proud of. Can the bar get much lower?

Thanks to Projo & reporter Elizabeth Gudrais