Healthiest State Blog

Health Bill Passes Test Vote

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

After a day of heated debate, and a late-night vote, the health reform bill passed a test vote in the Senate. Just after 1a.m., the roll was called and the vote was 60 to 40.  The real vote is tentatively scheduled for 7p.m. on December 24. 

“Health care in America ought to be a right, not a privilege,” said Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut. “Since the time of Harry Truman, every Congress, Republican and Democrat, every president, Democrat and Republican, have at least thought about doing this. Some actually tried.”

Republicans say the bill is fatally flawed.  Democrats say it’s a place to start and that it’s going to pass.  I say it’s high time to do something, and although this bill isn’t perfect it’s better than staying on the collision course we’re on, and it’s better than doing nothing.  The bill will cover 30 million people who are currently uninsured.  It will also expand Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. 

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that the cost of the bill, estimated at $871 billion, would be more than offset by the new revenues and cuts in spending, and would reduce future federal budget deficits by $132 billion between 2010 and 2019.

So what can you do to help?  Call or email your senators.  Go to www.HealthiestState.org for more information.  We’re getting closer!  We’re on the verge of making history.  Join us to reform health.

Health Reform Will Benefit Small Businesses

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

A new brief issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines how proposed health reform legislation would affect small businesses. In the current economy, small businesses have had to pay higher premiums to cover their workers, and for some these costs prevent them from providing any coverage at all.  The RWJ brief shows that the proposed health reform legislation would decrease the cost of insurance for small businesses. 

The brief, What Would Health Care Reform Mean for Small Employers and their Workers?, compares the House and Senate bills, and examines the current barriers small employers face in obtaining coverage for employees.  In a comparison of health insurance coverage by firm size, the report shows that in 2008 only 50.9% of firms with less than 25 employees offered employer-sponsored health coverage, while 77.2% of firms with 1000 employees or more offered it. 

To read the full report, click here. 

Health Reform Hangs in the Balance

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

Will health reform legislation pass this year?  Will the Senate bill get the votes needed? The fate of health reform hangs in the balance, and it’s future is in the hands of three key Senators:  Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Democrat-turned-independent Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, and Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine.  They are undecided and their votes are needed to make up the 60 votes necessary to pass health reform legislation.

Many democrats feel that passing a bill, however controversial, is better than not passing anything.  "No bill at all is worse than having a bill," says Mark Mellman, a pollster who works regularly for Democratic leaders in Congress. "And I think a lot of Democrats believe that a public display of failure to govern will be very costly politically, and even more costly than their concerns about the specifics of the legislation."
President Barack Obama will warn Senate Democrats that this is the last chance to pass health reform in a White House meeting today. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer told POLITICO: "If President Obama doesn't pass health reform, it’s hard to imagine another president ever taking on this Herculean task. For those whose life's work is reforming health care, this may be the last train leaving the station."

Call or write your Senators today!  Encourage them to pass the bill.  For more information, go to www.HealthiestState.org  Together, we can reform health!

The Gift of Health Reform For The Holidays?

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

Health Reform is right at the top of President Barack Obama's holiday wish list. President Obama says he believes that legislation to reform the health system will pass before December 25. 

Republicans remain skeptical, however, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that Democrats are also divided on the issues.  "There are more Democratic positions than you'd find in a stack of newspapers," McConnell said on the CBS program Face the Nation.

"I think they're in serious trouble on this, and the core problem is the American people do not want us to pass it," McConnell said. Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller, also on Face the Nation, said he sees momentum going forward to pass the bill. 

The Washington Post offers a medley of perspectives on the current state of the Senate bill.  Is it getting better or worse?  Opinions on the public option and the expansion of Medicare vary widely. Thoughts from liberals and conservatives, from Karl Rove to Terry O’Neill, are offered here.  

Compromise Could Bring Vote Closer

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed support for the expansion of Medicare, a compromise on her previous firm stance for a public option.  This shift increases the chance that the divided Congress could come together to pass health reform. Pelosi said she would be willing to begin negotiations on the House-Senate compromise bill as soon as December 19.

Despite this new optimism, Republicans remain skeptical, fearing increased costs on taxpayers and businesses.  "Americans want us to stop," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). "They want us to start over and get it right."

Debate continues over a proposal to allow imported drugs, and, according to the New York Times, the Senate is tied in knots over this issue. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) adamantly opposes legalizing additional imported drugs, and worries that the government could not guarantee the safety of these medicines.

Letter Urges Senators To Pass Health Reform Bill

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

Washington Health Foundation (WHF) President and CEO Greg Vigdor sent a letter to Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and the Washington Congressional Delegation, urging them to pass the Senate health reform bill.  WHF's Healthiest State Campaign has been advocating for health reform since its inception, and believes that health reform legislation must advance three core principles:  Prevention, Universal Participation, and Redesign of the Health Care System. To learn more about the Healthiest State Campaign commitment to health reform, go to www.HealthiestState.org.
 
Please call or email Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray to share your thoughts on what it will take to reform health in our great country! 
 
To read the full text of Greg Vigdor's letter, click here.

The Fight to Pass Health Reform Continues….

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

Opinions in the Senate remain deeply divided, but the battle wages on to pass health reform.  Democrats are feeling the pressure and trying hard to get the Senate bill passed.  Liberal Senators are pushing for the expansion of Medicare. 

Republicans are resisting, especially when it comes to the idea of a public plan.
“It’s an awful idea,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah. “It’s the Democrats’ way of introducing a single-payer health care system, run by the government.”

Democrats countered by saying they are willing to compromise on the public plan by allowing private insurers to operate under the government agency that manages coverage for federal employees.  

Americans Believe Prevention is Essential to Health Reform

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

The Washington Health Foundation (WHF) has long advocated prevention as a key element of health reform. In 2009-2010, WHF made Prevention a priority initiative of its Healthiest State Campaign, as well as one of its specific policy recommendations for National Health Reform.

A recent poll issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health found that 71% of Americans surveyed would like to see increased investments in disease prevention. The survey found that 70% of Americans think that prevention will save money, and that two-thirds ranked prevention as an 8 on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being very important).

“Investing in proven prevention programs and policy changes that make it easier for all Americans to make healthier choices is essential for building a healthier America,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Prevention happens where we live, learn, work, and play. Prevention happens when restaurants and workplaces are smoke free and when our neighborhoods have fresh, healthy foods and safe places to be active.”

To read the full report, click here.

Let the Voting Begin: Senate Votes on Health Reform Amendments

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

The Senate is beginning to vote on the proposed health reform amendments that have been presented and debated over the past week. In fact, the Senate has already approved an amendment requiring insurers to cover mammograms for women in their 40's.  

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told Democrats that he doesn't believe Republicans are interested in passing a bill, and that it was important for Democrats to stick together and be prepared to work weekends until Christmas.

Despite party differences, most agree that there are a few things the current legislation will do well:  cover the nearly 33 million Americans who were previously uninsured, expand Medicaid, and provide subsidies to help people buy insurance.

Senate Votes Start on Health Reform Legislation

By: Heather Pitre, WHF Health Reform Project Coordinator

The Senate is preparing to cast the first votes on health reform today, and Democrats are optimistic that a bill will be passed before Christmas.

Senator John McCain has written an amendment that would cut the bill’s main revenue source:  nearly $500 million in Medicare cost savings.  Republicans are concerned that Medicare cuts will put the lives of seniors at risk.  AARP and other senior groups don’t see this as a threat.  

"They've paid all their working lives into the Medicare trust fund, and now they're in danger of having $483 billion cut out of it, which would eventually lead to rationing of health care for seniors in order to fund a new, government-run health-care system in America," McCain told reporters.

Despite the differences of opinion and the battle over amendments, Democrats are optimistic that things will continue to move forward.