Health Care Reform

Health care reform is one of the most important topics before the Congress and indeed it has dominated a major amount of time in the legislative calendar. I have traveled extensively throughout our congressional district, meeting with groups and individuals to discuss this important issue that affects all of us at all levels - individuals and families, workers and business owners, health care consumers and providers.

On November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the most significant health care bill considered by the House since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. This was one of the most important votes I have taken as a member of Congress and I considered it very carefully.

The bill would improve the provision of health care in the United States by:

• Insuring 36 million additional Americans, which will improve preventive care, reduce emergency room visits and reduce overall health costs.
• Removing health insurance pre-existing condition limitations.
• Removing health insurance lifetime aggregate limit caps.
• Prohibiting insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you become sick.
• Improving health care coverage for seniors by eliminating the prescription drug “donut hole,” providing free preventive health services and extending the solvency of Medicare by five years.
• Allowing everyone to keep their current health insurance coverage.
• Maintaining the Hyde Amendment, a current law prohibition on taxpayer funds being used for abortion services.
• Reducing the federal deficit by $126 billion over 10 years.

As I discussed this issue with individuals and families, doctors, nurses and other health professionals, there is general agreement that our health system is broken and threatens our economy and way of life. We treat people in emergency rooms instead of doctors’ offices, and often when they are sickest and care is most expensive. While it is not perfect, H.R. 3962 promises to improve outcomes by making insurance more available and putting the emphasis on preventive care.

But most importantly with this vote, we have kept the process of health care reform moving forward. The Senate bill will likely be very different from H.R. 3962, but I am confident we can craft a final product that incorporates these goals and makes our health care system better.

It is estimated that the bill would ensure that 96% of the non-elderly have health insurance, including 40,000 residents of the 12th Congressional District that are currently uninsured. The bill would also protect 1,700 families in the district from bankruptcy due to medical costs and reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers by $119 million.

H.R. 3962 is supported by over 300 organizations, including:

• AARP
• American Medical Association (AMA)
• Federation of American Hospitals
• American Nurses Association
• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
• American Association of Family Physicians
• American College of Surgeons
• American College of Physicians
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• American Mental Health Counselors Association
• American Osteopathic Association
• American Thoracic Society
• Association of Medical Colleges
• Long-Term Care Coalition
• Mental Health America
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• National Assembly on School-Based Care
• National Association of Community Health Centers
• National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
• National Association of Social Workers
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• National Council for Behavioral Healthcare
• National Education Association
• National Patient Advocate Foundation
• National Spinal Cord Injury Association
• Partnership for Medicaid
• Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
• Doctors for America
• Easter Seals
• United Cerebral Palsy
• United Spinal Association
• Main Street Alliance
• Consumer’s Union
• Advocates for Youth
• Alliance for Retired Americans
• Arc of the United States
• Black Youth Vote
• California Rural Indian Health Board
• Campus Progress
• Center for Community Change
• Choice USA
• Demos
• Families USA
• Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
• Forward Montana Generational Alliance
• Health Access California
• Health Care for America Now
• League of United Latin American Citizens
• League of Women Voters
• Livestrong
• NAACP
• Rock the Vote
• Small Business Majority
• United Methodist Church
• USAction
• US Public Interest Research Group
• US Women’s Chamber of Commerce
• Virginia Organizing Project
• Voices for America’s Children
• Voto Latino
• Washington Community Action Network
• Young Democrats of America
• Young Invincibles
• 18 in 08
• Communications Workers of America (CWA)
• United Auto Workers (UAW)
• National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
• AFL-CIO

To view the text of H.R, 3962 go to the H.R. 3962 web page.

H.R. 3961 – Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009 has also been introduced in the House. To view the text of this legislation go to the H.R. 3961 web page.

While the House of Representatives has been taking action on health care reform, there has been similar activity in the Senate. America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 was introduced and was recently passed by the Senate Finance Committee. For details on the Senate Finance version, go to the Senate Finance Committee web page. Another version of health care reform legislation, S. 1679, the Affordable Health Choices Act, has been passed by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. For details on this bill, go to the Senate HELP Committee page. As in the House, these different Senate bills must be reconciled for passage by the full Senate, with a final version expected in the near future.

While the House of Representatives has passed health care reform legislation, before any health care reform bill could become law, the Senate must also pass their version of the legislation. A final version would then have to be crafted by a conference committee and passed by both the House and the Senate. Finally, the bill must be signed by the President.

Please check back to my web site for future updates.