American College of Physicians
ObserverWeekly
6-10-03
Access update
New House bill based on ACP proposals to expand access to care
Legislators introduced a bill into the House today to expand health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. The proposal already has the support of organizations representing more than 300,000 physicians.
The bill is identical to legislation introduced into the Senate last month. Both proposals are modeled after ACP’s seven-year plan to expand access to care to all Americans by 2010.
Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) introduced the Health Coverage, Affordability, Responsibility and Equity (HealthCARE) Act of 2003.
The bill would give states new options to expand coverage through existing public programs. It would also give individuals a tax credit to buy coverage from private plans.
The House legislation would expand access to care through the following measures:
* Give states new options to expand safety net programs for the poor.
* Create refundable tax credits to give eligible individuals the same subsidies to buy health insurance that the federal government gives its employees.
* Allow tax credits to be used to buy individual coverage or coverage through a state purchasing pool modeled after the Federal Employees Health Benefit program.
* Give small businesses access to the same types of affordable health plans available through state purchasing arrangements.
* Create an expert commission to recommend additional measures.
Supporters of the legislation include ACP (American College of Physicians), Families USA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Geriatrics.
http://www.acponline.org/weekly/2003/6/10/index.html?hp#accessbill
The identical bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), S.1030, HealthCARE Act of 2003, is available at Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/, and type in the bill number, S.1030
Comment: It is unlikely that this “bipartisan” bill will engender significant Republican support, especially without the Tom DeLay/Bill Thomas stamp of approval. But if the public demand for comprehensive reform increases much more, this bill could gain traction. And it does have the support of Families USA and several significant physician organizations.
Although this bill might expand coverage, it would do so partly by expanding private plans through an FEHBP model which would leave in place very costly administrative inefficiencies, and would expose low-income individuals covered by this legislation to cost-sharing that could threaten affordability of care. Analyses of similar proposals demonstrate that this is a very costly method of expanding care. And for moderately low-income, uninsured individuals, this bill provides only a committee that will think about their problem.
If such a bill were to pass, it would greatly reduce or even eliminate the pressure to enact reform that would ensure affordable, comprehensive health care for everyone. If we really do want an equitable health care system that meets our goals, we’re simply going to have to replace the private health plans with a single program of social insurance.
Let’s not be distracted by yet another costly but inadequate attempt to achieve a “politically feasible,” compromise proposal.