Most Key Players in Senior Citizen Health Care Back
House Plan Headed to Senate
AARP, AMA, American Heart Association, Council on
Aging back HR 3962; insurance execs oppose
Nov.
9, 2009 - The narrow 220-215 margin of victory for the House
Democrats' health reform bill late Saturday foreshadows a potentially
tougher fight in the Senate. Yet, as it came time to vote on Saturday,
most of the large groups that usually advocate for senior citizens’
health care issues had jumped on board. Insurance companies were about
the only organization opponents.
Still,
Kaiser Health
News reports, "Despite months of debate, disputes remain
between liberal and moderate Democrats and between the House and the
Senate on a raft of core issues.
They include how much to spend on an
overhaul; how to pay for it; how to deal with a government-run insurance
option, and the scope of coverage and subsidies for the uninsured."
One thing is clear, KHN reports, the bill passed in
the House is "almost certainly the high-water mark of liberal
aspirations. On most issues, Democrats will likely have to tack to the
right to win the support of Senate moderates."
Following are some of the statements on the bill
issued by major players in senior health care.
AARP: Statement by A. Barry Rand, CEO
AARP is pleased that the House has passed
the Affordable Health Care for American Act. This bill meets our
goals of improving Medicare's benefits and making critical
health insurance market reforms that make coverage more
affordable.
Our nation is now closer than ever to a
health care system that actually works for all Americans. For
too long, insurance companies have taken advantage of
discriminatory practices to cherry pick the most profitable
customers. And for too long, the high costs of prescription
drugs have forced seniors to choose between their medications
and other necessities.
We must fix this broken, inequitable
system.
This legislation protects Medicare and
ensures that it will be there for today's seniors and for the
future generations. The bill makes prescription drugs more
affordable for people in Medicare by closing the program's
dangerous gap in drug coverage and allowing Medicare to
negotiate lower drug prices. It adds cost-free preventive
services like cancer screenings and cracks down on waste and
fraud to protect and strengthen traditional Medicare benefits.
In addition, the legislation provides benefits to help seniors
and people with disabilities live in their own homes and
communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance
Services and Supports (CLASS) program.
For all Americans, especially those age 50
to 64 who often struggle to find affordable insurance, this plan
strictly limits how much more insurance companies can charge
based on age, and stops insurers from denying coverage based on
a person's health history or gender. For those who still cannot
find affordable coverage on their own, this bill offers help so
they can purchase insurance.
We thank those representatives who voted
for this landmark legislation, and we urge those members who did
not support health care reform tonight to reconsider the needs
of their constituents when this issue returns to the House for a
final vote.
American Medical Association: Statement
by J. James Rohack, MD, President,
“The AMA hails the passage of the House
health reform bill, which will help improve the health system
for patients and physicians and calls for swift passage of H.R.
3961 to secure the stability of the Medicare program. Passage
of the House health reform bill is a big step forward as we work
for comprehensive health reform this year. The AMA will
continue its work with Congress and the administration to
strengthen and improve health reform legislation as the process
continues for patients and physicians.
"The bill will significantly expand health
insurance coverage to Americans; empower patient and physician
decision making; institute meaningful insurance market reforms;
make substantial investments in quality; institute prevention
and wellness initiatives; provide incentives to states that
adopt certificate of merit and/or early offer liability
reforms, and reduce administrative burdens.
“As Congress considers new coverage
commitments to the American people through health reform, it
must ensure that commitments already made are fulfilled through
passage of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009
(H.R. 3961). This bill will permanently repeal the broken
physician payment formula and preserve access to care for
seniors, baby boomers and military families.”
American Heart Association: Statement by
CEO Nancy Brown
WASHINGTON, November 7, 2009 - Today’s
dramatic vote in the U.S. House of Representatives brings us one
step closer to meaningful health care reform. We are very
pleased that the Affordable Health Care for America Act makes
health care more accessible and affordable for millions of
Americans by enhancing coverage, promoting preventive care and
improving delivery of care. But this milestone also serves as a
sober reminder of the tremendous amount of work we still have
before us if we are to ensure that legislation that ultimately
emerges from Congress and is sent to the President retains the
patient protections and provisions that are in line with the
association’s tenets of health care reform and are so important
to individuals struggling with heart disease and stroke and
their families.
Expanding coverage to an additional 36
million Americans, emphasizing clinical and population-based
prevention and improving the quality and value of care are core
principles and priorities of the American Heart Association. We
also understand that many important issues in health care reform
have not been settled. We hope and trust that the House vote
will bring a renewed sense of optimism to Americans struggling
with life-threatening illnesses that meaningful health care
reform is within our grasp. We urge Congress and the
Administration to continue to work tirelessly to make health
care reform a reality this year.
American Health Care Association:
Statement of Bruce Yarwood, President & CEO
“The Nursing Facility Supplemental Payment
Program contained within the Affordable Health Care for America
Act, represents a first step in acknowledging the nation‘s
chronic Medicaid underfunding crisis – which shortchanges
seniors’ nursing home care more than $4 billion annually. We are
pleased that Congressional leaders have recognized the Medicaid
crisis, and encourage them to continue serious discussions as to
the future of Medicaid funding.
We are particularly encouraged that the
bill’s sponsor Representative John Dingell (D-MI) and original
cosponsors Representatives Andrews (D-NJ), Miller (D-CA),
Pallone (D-NJ), Rangel (D-NY), Stark (D-CA), and Waxman (D-CA),
understand the critical role Medicaid plays in the provision of
long term care and included this provision that begins to
address the program’s underfunding of care provided. Stability
must be brought to the Medicaid program in order to protect the
care of nursing home patients, and the jobs of frontline
caregivers vital to the provision of quality care.
The $23.9 billion, ten-year cuts contained
in the Affordable Health Care for America Act – coming on top of
cuts of up to $16 billion to Medicare-funded nursing home care
just put into effect by CMS on October 1, 2009 – will further
destabilize our sector at a time when most Governors across
America are being forced to cut or freeze seniors’ Medicaid
benefits and services. Taken together, our sector, our patients
and our workforce face an unprecedented cumulative threat that
can only be resolved by significantly reducing the level of
Medicare cuts contained in this new bill.
In the coming days and weeks, we will
continue to focus attention on the key fact surrounding our
sector’s funding crisis: Because facilities devote a full 70% of
operating expenses to wages, benefits and other labor costs,
Medicare and Medicaid funding stability from Washington equates
to staffing stability and quality care locally. The bottom line
is that the steep Medicare cuts in the House bill will mean lost
jobs in addition to compromised eldercare.”
As the nation’s largest association of long
term and post-acute care providers, the American Health Care
Association (AHCA) advocates for quality care and services for
frail, elderly and disabled Americans. Compassionate and caring
employees provide essential care to one million individuals in
our 11,000 not-for-profit and proprietary member facilities.
National Council on Aging (NCOA): by
James P. Firman, President, CEO
(Issued prior to Saturday vote.)
The National Council on Aging urges the
House to pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R.
3962), which we regard as a historic step toward the essential
goal of accessible, quality health care for Americans of all
ages.
After a carefully analysis, we have
concluded that the bill is a good deal for America’s seniors.
H.R. 3962 would improve care for older Americans, protect and
strengthen the Medicare program, significantly reduce the number
of uninsured Americans, and make important delivery system
reforms that should reduce costs and improve quality – all in a
fiscally responsible manner.
We are particularly pleased that the
proposal would offer an important new opportunity through the
CLASS provision for people to receive more affordable long term
care in homes and communities instead of in institutions. Other
valuable provisions for seniors would reduce prescription drug
costs, improve assistance for lower income Medicare
beneficiaries, promote innovation in the fight against chronic
disease, and focus attention and funding on prevention and
wellness.
No legislation is ever perfect, and NCOA
believes older adults deserve straight talk about the pros and
the cons of this bill. While we recognize that there are
significant Medicare savings in the proposal, we believe that
these changes will improve Medicare’s efficiency and fiscal
solvency without harming the care seniors receive.
NCOA urges the House and Senate to work
together to retain the best of this bill and further strengthen
the final legislation by improving access to Medicaid home and
community-based services and addressing the growing problem of
elder abuse.
It is important that this process continues
to move forward. H.R. 3962 would protect the interests of older
adults while increasing the accessibility, fairness, and
sustainability of a system that has too often underserved our
nation’s neediest citizens. For all these reasons, we say to
members of Congress and to older adults alike, this legislation
merits your support along with ours.
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP):
by Karen Ignagni, President, CEO
“Health plans strongly support
comprehensive health care reform, and we have contributed to
this discussion by proposing a complete overhaul of how health
insurance is provided. Earlier this year, we proposed
guaranteed coverage, elimination of pre-existing condition
exclusions, no longer basing premiums on a person’s health
status or gender, and an effective personal coverage requirement
to get everyone covered. We also have proposed far-reaching
administrative simplification reforms that will improve
efficiency, reduce costs, and free up time for physicians to
focus on patient care.
“The current House legislation fails to
bend the health care cost curve and breaks the promise that
those who like their current coverage can keep it. A new
government-run plan will cause millions to lose their existing
coverage and draconian Medicare Advantage cuts will force
millions of seniors out of the program entirely.
“This bill imposes inflexible mandates
before getting everyone covered and new regulations that
duplicate what is already in place at the state level. Many of
these reforms begin in 2010 after employees have already chosen
their plans and contracts have been negotiated. The result will
be increased costs and massive disruptions in the quality
coverage individuals and families rely on today.
“Recent polls have shown that Americans are
increasingly concerned about the impact of rising health care
costs. Yet the current health care reform discussion has, until
recently, ignored the cost issue. Without real and effective
measures to bend the cost curve, families and employers will not
be able to afford coverage and health care costs will rise at a
rate much faster than the overall economy is able to sustain.
“Health plans will continue to advocate for
bipartisan reforms that cover everyone, improve quality, and
make health care coverage more affordable.”
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Nov.
9, 2009 - The narrow 220-215 margin of victory for the House
Democrats' health reform bill late Saturday foreshadows a potentially
tougher fight in the Senate. Yet, as it came time to vote on Saturday,
most of the large groups that usually advocate for senior citizens’
health care issues had jumped on board. Insurance companies were about
the only organization opponents.