Health Care Reform?

As already stated, I encourage everyone to write their senators and representatives in DC to voice opposition to the health care reform bills currently being considered. My response from Senator Patty Murray was posted on November 30. This is Senator Maria Cantwell's response to my first email.


Dear Mr. F.,


Thank you for contacting me about comprehensive health care reform. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.



As you know, the Senate Finance Committee, of which I am a member, approved health care reform legislation on October 13, 2009. This legislation, titled America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 (S. 1796), would help make health care affordable, reduce the federal deficit by $81 billion, guarantee that patients can choose which doctor they want to see, and help make high-quality, affordable health care coverage available to all Americans.



On July 15, 2009, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved its health reform legislation, titled the Affordable Health Choices Act (S. 1679). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on November 18, 2009, which combines the committee bills into a single piece of legislation for the Senate floor. On November 21, 2009 I voted in support of a motion to bring the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to the Senate floor, so it can be fully and openly debated by the full Senate. Additionally, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of health care reform on November 7, 2009; this bill will be conferenced with the Senate's final bill and voted on again by each chamber before being sent to President Obama.



We must work to pass quality health care reform because America's current health care system is unsustainable. The cost of health care is skyrocketing at more than twice the rate of general inflation, millions of Americans can no longer afford adequate coverage, and more than 14,000 people lose their health insurance each day. Health insurance premiums have increased 120 percent over the last ten years, and are expected to double again in the next ten years. Sixty-two percent of all personal bankruptcies are the result of medical expenses and 80 percent of these occur in families who already have health insurance. Out of control health care costs must be addressed, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act offers commonsense solutions to significantly reduce the cost of health care for families and businesses. This bill will also reduce the federal deficit without limiting benefit packages or access to a person's doctor of choice or disrupting or limiting private health insurance options.



The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act contains my proposal to create a value-index to adjust how Medicare pays health care providers to incentivize high-quality care. Under the current system, doctors are paid strictly by the number of services they provide to patients without regard to how their patient's health improves. My value-index provision puts the focus back on patient health, paying doctors more when they provide better care to their patients.



I am convinced that a robust public option would provide Americans with increased choice and competition in the private insurance market and would drive down costs for every American. Currently, 94 percent of America's insurance markets are dominated by just one or two insurance companies and do not have the competition we need to lower costs and improve coverage. During the Finance Committee debate, I was a cosponsor of an amendment to include a robust public option as part of America's Healthy Future Act and voted twice to add a public option to the bill. Neither of these amendments passed in committee, but I am pleased that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does include a public option.



Included as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is my Basic Health proposal, which enables states to negotiate with the insurance industry on behalf of their low-income residents for lower cost, higher quality health care. The Basic Health Plan, modeled after Washington State's Basic Health Plan, moves us toward the goal of covering the uninsured and spurring competition to drive down health care costs. By allowing states to negotiate, coverage will be more affordable and will save taxpayer dollars. In Washington State, we have seen between 35 and 40 percent cost savings through the Basic Health Plan when compared to comparable benefit packages in the private market. This Basic Health model provides a clear way to offer low-income Americans high-quality, affordable health coverage.



I believe Congress must reform our health care system. My goal is to have legislation emerge from the Senate floor that controls health care costs, improves the quality of health care, and helps to cover hard-working Americans who cannot afford coverage on their own. While there remain significant details to be worked out, reform is more necessary now than ever. I am convinced we can help provide the quality health care reforms our economy and our workforce need while stabilizing our nation's long-term finances.



Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. You may also be interested in signing up for periodic updates for Washington State residents. If you are interested in subscribing to this update, please visit my website at http://cantwell.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.



Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator