McCarthy on Affordable Health Care for America Act

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November 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON D.C. -- On Saturday, November 7, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a comprehensive healthcare reform bill that will improve healthcare for Long Islanders and all Americans. The bill provides access to the health insurance market for the currently uninsured, provides important protections for those who currently have insurance, brings down the costs of healthcare for our families, businesses and the nation, and sets us on a sustainable path to providing affordable, quality healthcare choices for all Americans.

“No one can deny that our healthcare system is in need of serious reforms. This bill builds upon what is working in our current system and helps to fix what is not working. H.R. 3962 includes important provisions that will help Long Island families.”

In the 4th Congressional District, H.R. 3962 will:

· Improve employer-based coverage for 444,000 residents

· Provide credits to help pay for coverage for up to 82,000 households

· Improve Medicare for 102,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription drug donut hole for 9,300 seniors

· Allow 23,400 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 23,000 small businesses

· Provide coverage for 41,000 uninsured residents

· Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and healthcare providers by $209 million

The legislation will ensure that 96 percent of Americans will be covered by a quality, affordable health plan. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of expanding coverage at $894 billion, less than the $900 billion coverage mark laid out by President Obama. And, the legislation will be fully paid for. CBO estimates the bill reduces the deficit by at least $30 billion over 10 years.

The House Committees of jurisdiction debated and reported versions of the legislation in July. Since then, the committees, House leadership, and the entire caucus have worked to revise the legislation to reflect the priorities that Members heard from their constituents.

“Many have expressed concerns with the legislation. It is understandable to be concerned with a topic that affects everyone in a very personal and important way. This bill is a vitally important, if imperfect, step along the road to reform. As this process continues, I will work to make sure that the final bill enacted by Congress and signed by the President retains the four principles that I think are critical to healthcare reform and have been fighting for: security, access, quality, and affordability,” said Rep. McCarthy.

Congresswoman McCarthy was proud to include several of her own provisions in H.R. 3962 that will make substantive improvements in our healthcare system. These provisions will: 1.) ensure that children with facial deformities can receive insurance coverage, 2.) provide grants for the hiring of qualified school nurses, and 3.) provide for the training of more nurses to help ease the nursing shortage in the United States.

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Key components of the Affordable health Care for America Act include:

Increasing choice and competition. The bill will protect and improve consumers’ choices.

· If people like their current plans, they will be able to keep them.

· For individuals who aren’t currently covered by their employer, and some small businesses, the proposal will establish a new Health Insurance Exchange where consumers can comparison shop from a menu of affordable, quality health care options that will include private plans, health co-ops, and a new public health insurance option. The public health insurance option will play on a level playing field with private insurers, spurring additional competition.

· This Exchange will create competition based on quality and price that leads to better coverage and care. Patients and doctors will have control over decisions about their health care, instead of insurance companies.

Giving Americans peace of mind. The legislation will ensure that Americans have portable, secure health care coverage – so that they won’t lose care if their employer drops their plan or they lose their job.

· Every American who receives coverage through the Exchange will have a plan that includes standardized, comprehensive and quality health care benefits.

· It will end increases in premiums or denials of care based on pre-existing conditions, race, or gender, and strictly limit age rating.

· The proposal will also eliminate co-pays for preventive care, and cap out-of-pocket expensesto protects every American from bankruptcy.

Improving quality of care for every American. The legislation will ensure that Americans of all ages, from young children to retirees have access to greater quality of care by focusing on prevention, wellness, and strengthening programs that work.

· Guarantees that every child in America will have health care coverage that includes dental, hearing and vision benefits.

· Provides better preventive and wellness care. Every health care plan offered through the exchange and by employers after a grace period will cover preventive care at no cost to the patient.

· Increases the health care workforce to ensure that more doctors and nurses are available to provide quality care as more Americans get coverage.

· Strengthens Medicare and Medicaid and closes the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole’ so that seniors and low-income Americans receive better quality of care and see lower prescription drug costs and out-of-pocket expenses.

Ensuring shared responsibility. The bill will ensure that individuals, employers, and the federal government share responsibility for a quality and affordable health care system.

· Employers can continue offering coverage to workers, and those who choose not offer coverage contribute a fee of eight percent of payroll.

· All individuals will generally be required to get coverage, either through their employer or the exchange, or pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of income, subject to a hardship exemption.

· The federal government will provide affordability credits, available on a sliding scale for low- and middle-income individuals and families to make premiums affordable and reduce cost-sharing.

Protecting consumers and reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. The legislation will put the interests of consumers first, protect them from problems in getting and keeping health care coverage, and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.

· Provides transparency in plans in the Health Exchange so that consumers have the clear, complete information, in plain English, needed to select the plan that best meets their needs.

· Establishes consumer advocacy offices as part of the Exchange in order to protect consumers, answer questions, and assist with any problems related to their plans.

· Simplifies paperwork and other administrative burdens. Patients, doctors, nurses, insurance companies, providers, and employers will all encounter a streamlined, less confusing, more consumer friendly system.

· Increases funding of efforts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse; creates enhanced oversight of Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Reducing the deficit and ensuring the solvency of Medicare and Medicaid. The legislation will be entirely paid for – it will not add a dime to the deficit. It will also put Medicare and Medicaid on the path to a more fiscally sound future, so seniors and low-income Americans can continue to receive the quality health care benefits for years to come.

· Pays for the entire cost of the legislation though a combination of savings achieved by making Medicare and Medicaid more efficient – without cutting seniors’ benefits in any way – and revenue generated from placing a surcharge the top 0.3 percent of all households in the U.S.(married couples with adjusted gross income of over $1,000,000) and other tax measures.

· The Congressional Budget estimates the bill will reduce the deficit by at least $100 billion over ten years.

· Estimates also show the bill will slow the rate of growth of the Medicare program from 6.6 percent annually to 5.3 percent annually.

For more information on H.R. 3962 or healthcare reform in the 111th Congress, please click here.

Source: Rep. Carolyn McCarthy