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Feb. 1 - Many members of Congress anticipated that President Barack Obama would provide direction on what should happen on health care reform during his State of the Union speech last week. While not providing specific direction, he did encourage lawmakers to look at the legislation again and move forward on things that everyone can agree on. More importantly, the President urged members of Congress to finish the job of health care reform and vowed not to give up.
With the Democrats losing their super-majority in the U.S. Senate in last week’s special election in Massachusetts, some members – including Texas Sen. John Cornyn – want to “start over on health care reform.” Sen. Cornyn wrote an opinion-editorial that was published in the Austin American-Statesman on Saturday.
Texas Hospital Association President/CEO Dan Stultz, M.D., FACP, FACHE, was in Washington, D.C., attending the American Hospital Association’s State Issue Forum when Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was declared the winner of the seat previously held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), who had long championed health care issues. Stultz met with several members of the Texas Delegation, including Congressmen Chet Edwards (D-Waco) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) and staff from the offices of Sen. Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo).
Stultz made it clear that Congress cannot simply pass popular insurance reforms, like prohibiting exclusions for pre-existing conditions. He noted that without a mandate to purchase coverage, adverse selection will drive up premium costs. He also noted that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can implement many of the provisions in the legislation without congressional action. He reaffirmed the need for comprehensive health care reform. Otherwise, hospitals likely will face cuts in Medicare and Medicaid with no hope of increased revenue from having more insured patients.
This week, THA will contact each member of the Texas Delegation and urge them to work together for solutions because the health care crisis is real. THA will urge members of both parties to work together and make health care coverage more affordable and accessible for Americans. THA will ask the Texas Delegation to be proactive and ensure that health care reform addresses the unique problems of Texas and other states with high uninsured rates. With 70 percent of the state’s population at or below 400 percent of poverty, Texas is not likely to achieve the projected coverage targets. That reality needs to be addressed.
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