Senator Baucus Introduces Landmark Health Care Plan

Senator's Plan Will Ensure Quality, Affordable Health Care For All Montanans

September 16, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -After more than a year of preparation, and holding more than 40 health care events in the state, Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus today introduced the America's Healthy Future Act, his landmark health care reform legislation that will lower costs and provide quality, affordable health care coverage for all Montanans and all Americans.

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Baucus, chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Finance Committee, released his plan- known as a 'Chairman's Mark'- this morning during a nationally televised news conference.

Baucus' plan will make it easier for families and small businesses to buy health care coverage while ensuring Montanans can choose to keep their current health care coverage if they like it, and slowing the growth of health care costs over time. It will block insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions or imposing annual caps or lifetime limits on the amount of coverage they will provide. The bill would also improve the way the health care system delivers care by improving efficiency, quality and coordination.

In addition, The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Baucus plan would make an $856 billion investment in the health care system over ten years. That investment would not add to the federal deficit. Instead, the plan would be fully paid for through increased focus on quality, efficiency, prevention and adjustments in federal health program payments.

"I've been talking with Montanans for more than a year about health care reform, and this plan is a culmination of all our efforts. This plan is balanced, based on common sense, and is right for Montanans and Americans. This is our moment to finally make quality, affordable health care available to everyone," Baucus said. "Our health care system is simply unsustainable. It is breaking the bank for everyone from families to small businesses. My plan will turn that around. It will fix the way Montanans get the care they need. I'm so proud to introduce this plan today, I'm looking forward to the finish line. It's time to get this done."

Provisions in Baucus' America's Healthy Future Act

Provisions included in the legislation to ensure Montanans have quality, affordable, health care coverage would: • Create health care affordability tax credits to help low and middle income families purchase insurance in the private market; • Provide tax credits for small businesses to help them offer insurance to their employees; • Allow people who like the coverage they have today the choice to keep it; • Reform the insurance market to end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and health status; • Eliminate yearly and lifetime limits on the amount of coverage plans provide; • Create web-based insurance exchanges that would standardize health plan premiums and coverage information to make purchasing insurance easier; • Give consumers the choice of non-profit, consumer owned and oriented plans (CO-OP); and • Standardize Medicaid coverage for everyone under 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Provisions included in the legislation to improve the quality of care, increase efficiency within the health care system and lower health care costs would: • Shift incentives in Medicare to reward better care, not just more care; • Increase the number of primary care doctors in the system; • Aggressively fight fraud, waste and abuse in Medicare; • Encourage all of a patient's doctors to coordinate care and reduce duplication and waste; • Create incentives for health care providers to improve quality by using safer, more cost effective health technology like electronic medical records; and • Increase health care research so doctors know what care works best for which patients.

Provisions included in the legislation to promote preventive health care and wellness would: • Provide annual "wellness visits" for Medicare participants and their doctors to focus on prevention; • Eliminate out-of-pocket costs for screening and prevention services in Medicare; • Create incentives in Medicare and Medicaid for completing healthy lifestyle programs; • Increase federal Medicaid funding for states that cover recommended preventive services and immunizations for enrollees at no extra cost; and • Provide free tobacco cessation services for pregnant women in Medicaid.

The full text of the America's Health Future Act is available at: http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG 2009/091609 Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.pdf.

The Finance Committee will meet to begin voting on the legislation next week.

Source: Senator Max Baucus