Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/14583
TRUCKING OPPORTUNITIES stands to be a big benefit to high- risk residents of states like Califor- nia, where enrollment of new in- sured people in the state HRP has been essentially cut off since 2006, when a waiting list was introduced that reached a peak of more than 1,000 people in recent times. Illi- nois’ comparable state pool also has a waiting list, and Florida’s HRP has been closed to new enrollees, essen- tially defunct, for years. TRUCKERSNEWSDRIVERJOBS.COM As California began discussing its decision to administer the na- tional HRP alongside its own long- running HRP in June, the Sacramen- to Bee newspaper noted expert es- timates of a more hefty 37 percent potential policy enrollee cost differ- ence in favor of the more affordable national HRP, which “makes the re- form real,” Health Access Califor- nia head Anthony Wright told the paper. “It brings it down to dollars and cents.” Premium reductions system- wide will be good news for affected haulers, but levels of coverage will also be important. Stats on the state HRPs may provide a guide to what you can expect from the nation- al pool. The GAO noted that the average policy among state HRPs came with an annual deductible of $1,593, almost three times high- er than the average employer-spon- sored plan deductible. The vast ma- jority of state HRPs, noted GAO, came with lifetime limits to bene- fits averaging $1.6 million. While limitations such as these are charac- teristic of somewhat less-expansive plans in the employer-sponsored market, they might well be consid- ered typical of plans for high-risk individuals with turbulent medical histories. And for the uninsured portion of the truck-driving community with preexisting conditions, particularly among owner-operators, the nation- al HRP will be at least another op- tion in an increasingly tight insur- ance marketplace. The U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Servic- es, which oversaw the development of the national HRP, began seeing applications July 1 from enrollees in 19 states that had not applied to administer the pool themselves. Es- tablishment of the national HRP in those states could be slightly longer in coming, HHS said. DIESEL PRICE WATCH Prices are the average, self serve, cash at truckstops June 1-30, 2010* ALABAMA . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.84 ARIZONA . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.94 ARKANSAS . . . . . . . . . . . .2.90 CALIFORNIA . . . . . . . . . .3.076 COLORADO . . . . . . . . . . . .3.01 CONNECTICUT . . . . . . . . .3.24 DELAWARE . . . . . . . . . . . .2.94 FLORIDA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.96 GEORGIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.87 IDAHO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.08 ILLINOIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.00 INDIANA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.84 IOWA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.92 KANSAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.91 KENTUCKY . . . . . . . . . . . .2.89 LOUISIANA . . . . . . . . . . . .2.85 MAINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.01 MARYLAND . . . . . . . . . . . .3.01 MASSACHUSETTS . . . . .3.01 MICHIGAN . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.97 MINNESOTA . . . . . . . . . . .2.93 MISSISSIPPI . . . . . . . . . . .2.84 MISSOURI . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.79 MONTANA . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.94 NEBRASKA . . . . . . . . . . . .2.90 NEVADA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.00 NEW HAMPSHIRE . . . . . .2.93 NEW JERSEY . . . . . . . . . .2.86 NEW MEXICO . . . . . . . . . .2.94 NEW YORK . . . . . . . . . . . .3.14 NORTH CAROLINA . . . . . .2.88 NORTH DAKOTA . . . . . . .3.02 OHIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.99 OKLAHOMA . . . . . . . . . . .2.75 OREGON . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.86 PENNSYLVANIA . . . . . . . .3.07 RHODE ISLAND . . . . . . . .2.96 SOUTH CAROLINA . . . . . .2.78 SOUTH DAKOTA . . . . . . .2.86 TENNESSEE . . . . . . . . . . .2.80 TEXAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.88 UTAH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.99 VERMONT . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.13 VIRGINIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.80 WASHINGTON . . . . . . . . .3.23 WEST VIRGINIA . . . . . . . .2.98 WISCONSIN . . . . . . . . . . .2.96 WYOMING . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.92 Source: T-Chek Systems Inc., Eden Prairie, MN. For more information, (877) SOS-CHEK or www.tchek.com *Some prices may not include certain state taxes Visit www.truckersnews.hotims.com and enter 370 76 TRUCKERS NEWS AUGUST 2010 Mercer_TN0810PG076.indd 1 7/8/10 2:42 PM