Jackson Free Press

Elizabeth, of Jackson, is a single mom and among the roughly 20 percent of Mississippians who are uninsured or 37 percent of Mississippians under age 65. She works at a small business that does not provide health insurance. She earns a $28,000 annual gross salary. After paying basic living expenses, she cannot afford a monthly insurance premium.

In Mississippi, family premiums average $11,303 annually, a stiff price to pay in a state where the median income, $34,473, is the lowest in the nation. Premiums in Mississippi have continued to grow while incomes have remained stagnant. Since 2000, average family premiums have increased by 89 percent in Mississippi, and the average medical deductible in Mississippi is $1,578.00, $227 higher than the national average.

Between 2000 and 2007, Mississippians with employer-sponsored health-insurance coverage has declined from 59 percent to 49 percent.

Mississippi would benefit from health-care reform and particularly a public health insurance plan that would compete with the private insurance industry.

Sen. Roger Wicker argues that government is too inefficient, and has a poor track record when it comes to running things. He claims that a public plan would kill the private insurance market

Although 1,300 insurance companies operate across the country, one or two insurance companies dominates the health-insurance market. The median market share of the largest insurance carrier increased from 33 percent in 2002 to 47 percent in 2008.

Blue Cross Blue Shield dominates the Mississippi market with a share of 39.3 percent, which translated into $1,183,150,793 in premiums earned in one year at the end of 2008.

BCBS offers two types of coverage for a family of two. Blue Care Co-Insurance is the less costly. A plan with a $1,500 medical deductible would cost a monthly premium of $402.83. On a $28,000 gross annual salary, it would be nearly impossible for a single mother to afford this additional expense.

Offering a public plan will produce real competition and give insurance giants the incentive to lower their rates. A public plan is estimated to insure approximately 47 million, 161 million will remain with private insurance companies.

Under the Democrats' H.B. 3200, about 500,000 Mississippians will be eligible for premium credits. The new law would prevent Insurance companies from placing annual caps on coverage, and require them to abide by annual limits on the amount they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

Mississippi has the highest mortality rate of cardiovascular disease; and diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are prevalent. Reform would include a financial incentive for physicians to practice primary care that could help prevent chronic diseases and premature deaths. It would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to those who have pre-existing conditions .

Approximately 25 percent of children in Mississippi have not received dental care in the past year. Health reform will ensure coverage for kids dental, vision and hearing needs.

Many Mississippians do not have annual screenings that detect breast, colon and cervical cancers. Health reform would require health plans to cover preventive services for everyone, which would promote prevention rather than expensive and often ineffective treatments.

Linda Blumberg, co-author of a study by the Urban Institute Public Policy Center, estimated that a public plan could save taxpayers between $224 billion to $400 billion over a10-year period by reducing the cost of proposed subsidies for the uninsured, while preserving private insurance coverage for most Americans. "A public plan would have the leverage to set lower payment rates and get providers to participate at those rates," Bloomberg told the Associated Press.

The Center predicts that without health-care reform, the number of uninsured Americans would expand from 49 million in 2009 to 62 million in 2019. Individual and family spending on health care would increase from $326 billion to $521 billion.

Wicker's opposition to a public insurance plan is not based on fear of a government take over. This is not the first time he has opposed expanding health insurance to cover more Mississippians. He opposed the State Children's Health Insurance Program legislation that would expand the program to cover 4 million uninsured children. The legislation was eventually signed this year when the Democrats took control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

His opposition may be grounded in his principles of free enterprise or his blind allegiance to the Republican Party, but maybe it's based on the $230,600 campaign contributions he received from the private insurance industry.

Getty Israel is a public health consultant who specializes in disease prevention through dietary and lifestyle changes. In addition, she is a published health journalist and public speaker, and uninsured.