Johnson on Health Care Reform

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November 20, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- The Senate is poised to begin debate on the newly introduced Senate version of the health care reform package, the Patient Protection and Affordability Act. The Senate will move to a procedural vote on Saturday that will allow full consideration and debate of the health care reform bill. The minority is filibustering in an attempt to kill the bill before it’s given an opportunity to be considered. Senator Tim Johnson released the following statement:

After nearly a year of work, the Senate is ready to consider health care reform legislation that delivers reform to the American people in a balanced, fiscally responsible way. The bill will cut the deficit by $130 billion over the first 10 years and will extend coverage to more than 94% of Americans – including 31 million currently uninsured.

This effort stands up to the big insurance companies on behalf of the American people and puts an end to industry abuses that have denied coverage to hard working Americans when they get sick and need it the most. Insurance Companies will have to cover pre-existing conditions and won’t be able to drop you just because you got sick. The bill will allow Americans to shop for the best health care plans to meet their needs, and it will make Medicare a stronger, more sustainable program. It’s time to cut waste, fraud and abuses in the system and provide the care that all Americans need and deserve.

Some will try to stop this debate before it even begins on the Senate floor. There are many steps to go before we have a final bill through both chambers, but we cannot stick our heads in the sand and pretend that reform isn’t needed or stop all attempts to fix a broken system. The “do-nothing” approach that stops debate hurts all Americans by robbing us of this historic opportunity to stop talking about problems and actually find a solution.

For more information on the bill, please see the following pages:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and will create the transformation within the health care system necessary to contain costs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully paid for, will provide coverage to more than 94 percent of Americans while staying under the $900 billion limit that President Obama established, bending the health care cost curve, and reducing the deficit over the next ten years and beyond.

Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes immediate changes to the way health insurance companies do business to protect consumers from discriminatory practices and provide Americans with better preventive coverage and the information they need to make informed decisions about their health insurance.

- Uninsured Americans with a pre-existing condition will have access to an immediate insurance program to help them avoid medical bankruptcy and retirees will have greater certainty due to reinsurance provisions to help maintain coverage.

- New health insurance Exchanges will make coverage affordable and accessible for individuals and small businesses. Premium tax credits and cost-sharing assistance will help those who need assistance.

- Insurance companies will be barred from discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, health status, and gender.

The Role of Public Programs

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act expands eligibility for Medicaid to include all non-elderly Americans with income below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), with substantial assistance to States for the cost of covering these individuals.

Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Health Care

- Congress is committed to protecting and strengthening the Medicare program for America’s seniors. Medicare is a sacred trust with seniors and people with disabilities, and the ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will ensure that trust is preserved. The cost of inaction is unacceptable for seniors and the Medicare program that serves them; without action, the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund is expected to go broke in just over seven years. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make Medicare a stronger, more sustainable program.

- Medicare currently reimburses health care providers on the basis of the volume of care they provide rather than the value of care. For each test, scan or procedure conducted, Medicare provides a separate payment, rewarding those who do more, regardless of whether the test or treatment contributes to helping a patient recover. The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes a number of proposals to move away from the “a la carte” Medicare fee?for?service system toward paying for quality and value and reducing costs to America’s seniors.

Prevention of Chronic Disease and Improving Public Health

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promotes preventive health care and improves the public health to help Americans live healthy lives and help restrain the growth of health care costs over time. The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will eliminate co-pays and deductibles for recommended preventive care, provide individuals with the information they need to make healthy decisions, improve education on disease prevention and public health, and invest in a national prevention and public health strategy.

Health Care Workforce

- Currently, 65 million Americans live in communities where they cannot easily access a primary care provider, and an additional 16,500 practitioners are required to meet their needs. The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will address shortages in primary care and other areas of practice by making necessary investments in our nation’s health care workforce. Specifically, the ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will invest in the National Health Service Corps, scholarship and loan repayment programs to expand the health care workforce. The bill also includes incentives for primary care practitioners and for providers to serve underserved areas.

Transparency and Program Integrity

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide consumers with information about physician ownership of hospitals and medical equipment as well as nursing home ownership and other characteristics. The bill also includes provisions that will crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and private insurance. Finally, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will establish a private, non-profit entity to identify priorities for and provide for the conduct of comparative outcomes research.

Improving Access to Innovative Medical Therapies

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will establish a regulatory pathway for FDA approval of biosimilar versions of previously licensed biological products. The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will also expand the scope of the existing 340B drug discount program, so that patients at children’s hospitals, cancer hospitals, rural hospitals and in other underserved communities have access to medicines at lower cost.

Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS)

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make long-term supports and services more affordable for millions of Americans by providing a lifetime cash benefit that will help people with severe disabilities remain in their homes and communities. CLASS is a voluntary, self-funded, insurance program provided through the workplace. For those whose employers participate, affordable premiums will be paid through payroll deductions. Participation by workers is entirely voluntary. The Congressional Budget Office confirms that the program, which has been revised from earlier versions, is actuarially sound.

Revenue Provisions

- The ­­­Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully paid for and reduces the deficit in the next ten years

Source: Senator Tim Johnson