Fox’s Siegel Ignores High-Risk Pool’s History Of Failure

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

On the April 6 edition of Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom, Fox contributor Dr. Marc Siegel was hosted to discuss the House Republican’s attempt to make changes to America’s healthcare system. After failing to pass a more comprehensive package, Republicans are now pushing a vote on a partial change to health care by creating high-risk pools or state-based “programs to offer non-group health coverage to uninsurable residents,” primarily those with pre-existing conditions that are expensive to insure.

During the segment, Siegel claimed that “if you can separate the very sick,” then “premiums for everyone else are going to be lower.” While true (however minimal the actual effect would be), Siegel’s comments ignore high-risk pools’ history of failure, as they are “prohibitively expensive for consumers,” offer poor coverage and were historically difficult and expensive to administer.



From the April 6 edition of Fox News’ America’s Newsroom:

DR. MARC SIEGEL: The optics will improve from a doctor-patient situation if you create these high-risk pools and you create an opportunity for patients that have very sick problems. Preexisting conditions, emphysema, alcoholism, overweight, diabetes. All of these things -- if you can separate very sick cancer, separate them out, premiums for everyone else are going to be lower. If they could go back to their states with a win, saying, “Hey, we’ve gotten rid of the mandates and now we’re gonna give you the option of lower premiums for less by separating out and creating high-risk pools,” I think that’s an opportunity for a win.