/PRNewswire/ -- In response to the release of the health care reform plan by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, DMLR Chairman Stuart L. Weinstein, M.D. issued the following statement:
"The plan released by Senator Baucus is inadequate in addressing the serious problems caused by medical lawsuit abuse. President Obama, Republicans and Democrats in the Congress, health care policy experts, opinion leaders, and patients all across the country agree that medical liability reform is needed to lower costs and reduce the practice of defensive medicine. Unfortunately, Senator Baucus chose to ignore their important views.
"Baucus' plan does nothing more than ask for a 'Sense of the Senate' stating that state demonstration projects should be considered. This is unacceptable.
"While voluntary state demonstration projects may be a step in the right direction, the Senate's mere expression of support is not enough -- they must be formalized and codified into law. Even so, state demonstration projects alone will not do enough to lower health care costs and reduce the practice of defensive medicine. We need comprehensive federal medical liability reforms like those that have proven to be successful in states like California and Texas.
"On behalf of Doctors for Medical Liability Reform and Protect Patients Now, I urge the Senate to include effective medical liability reforms in any health care bill it passes. Now is the chance for our nation's leaders from both parties in Congress to step forward to stop medical lawsuit abuse once and for all."
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Showing posts with label baucus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baucus. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Senate Finance Committee Cuts Home Medical Equipment in Reform Package
/PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) issued his recommendations for healthcare reform in his long-awaited "Chairman's mark" version of the bill. The 220-page bill contains several provisions that affect home medical equipment, ranging from power wheelchairs to anti-fraud measures. The bill does not include specific cuts to oxygen payment rates, but the American Association for Homecare believes that the threat of cuts remains.
"While we favor the goals of health care reform and aggressive measures to reduce fraud and waste in Medicare, the cuts proposed for home medical equipment and related services are unwarranted and disproportionate," said Tyler J. Wilson, President of the Association. "We don't believe the cuts will produce either savings or better care for seniors in the long run."
The draft bill includes billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare, including reductions to the home medical equipment sector that will reduce access to care for seniors. These cuts come on the heels of several years of Medicare reimbursement reductions for homecare, and they will hurt small businesses. The home medical equipment and service sector is one of the smallest and slowest-growing sectors in Medicare according to National Health Expenditures data from the federal government.
Among the cuts and negative impacts detailed in the draft Senate legislation:
Competitive Acquisition Program Expansion. The Chairman's mark would expand the number of areas to be included in Round Two of the bidding program for durable medical equipment from 79 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas to 100.
First-Month Purchase Option for Power Wheelchairs. The mark would maintain the first-month purchase option for complex power wheelchairs but eliminate the option for standard power wheelchairs. Nearly all beneficiaries elect the purchase option because they suffer from long-term, debilitating conditions that require customized equipment to meet their specific needs. Removing a beneficiary's right to choose the first-month purchase will create access-to-care problems as the provider will not be able to secure the financing to cover the costs of the power wheelchair over a 13-month period, especially given the current financial environment.
Excise Tax on Manufacturers and Importers of Medical Devices. The Chairman's mark would require an annual tax on manufacturers and importers of medical devices that are categorized as Class II or Class III devices offered for sale in the United States, costing device manufacturers approximately $29.9 billion over ten years.
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"While we favor the goals of health care reform and aggressive measures to reduce fraud and waste in Medicare, the cuts proposed for home medical equipment and related services are unwarranted and disproportionate," said Tyler J. Wilson, President of the Association. "We don't believe the cuts will produce either savings or better care for seniors in the long run."
The draft bill includes billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare, including reductions to the home medical equipment sector that will reduce access to care for seniors. These cuts come on the heels of several years of Medicare reimbursement reductions for homecare, and they will hurt small businesses. The home medical equipment and service sector is one of the smallest and slowest-growing sectors in Medicare according to National Health Expenditures data from the federal government.
Among the cuts and negative impacts detailed in the draft Senate legislation:
Competitive Acquisition Program Expansion. The Chairman's mark would expand the number of areas to be included in Round Two of the bidding program for durable medical equipment from 79 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas to 100.
First-Month Purchase Option for Power Wheelchairs. The mark would maintain the first-month purchase option for complex power wheelchairs but eliminate the option for standard power wheelchairs. Nearly all beneficiaries elect the purchase option because they suffer from long-term, debilitating conditions that require customized equipment to meet their specific needs. Removing a beneficiary's right to choose the first-month purchase will create access-to-care problems as the provider will not be able to secure the financing to cover the costs of the power wheelchair over a 13-month period, especially given the current financial environment.
Excise Tax on Manufacturers and Importers of Medical Devices. The Chairman's mark would require an annual tax on manufacturers and importers of medical devices that are categorized as Class II or Class III devices offered for sale in the United States, costing device manufacturers approximately $29.9 billion over ten years.
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Family Research Council: Senator Baucus Undermines President Obama's Abortion Funding Claim
/PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced a detailed summary of his "America's Health Future Act of 2009" that will be marked-up in the Senate Financial Services Committee next week.
The Baucus legislation explicitly includes abortion and would subsidize health plans that cover all elective abortions and moves well beyond the status quo of preventing federal funds from paying for abortion or subsidizing plans that covers abortion as is prevented under current laws governing Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan and the State Children's Health Insurance Plan. On Friday morning at the Values Voter Summit, this issue will be discussed in greater detail during a congressional panel discussion.
Responding, Tony Perkins said:
"Senator Baucus' new health care bill puts to rest the President's claim that 'abortion is not included' in the Senate health care bill. The Baucus plan includes abortion, pure and simple. Like the Capps abortion amendment in the House bill, the Baucus plan would subsidize health plans that cover elective abortions but with tax credits. The accounting used in the bill is a matter of smoke and mirrors, since elective abortion is authorized for health plans receiving government subsidies.
"The Baucus bill goes even farther by mandating that there be at least one health plan in each region across the country which covers elective abortions. Such a government mandate of abortion-covered plans in each state exchange and subsidizing such plans does little to prevent 'federal funding of abortion' as President Obama said last week. Moreover, the Baucus bill would spend $6 billion to establish health care co-ops and this funding could be used for elective abortion because it is not subject to the Hyde Amendment appropriations provision.
"If President Obama is serious about preventing funding for abortion in health care reform, he should immediately support adoption of Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment to exclude abortion from all health care reform legislation. Democrat Senator Bob Casey voted for such an amendment in the Senate Health Committee.
"It's time for President Obama to stop the smoke and mirrors on abortion and health care and straightforwardly tell Congress to permanently exclude abortion coverage."
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The Baucus legislation explicitly includes abortion and would subsidize health plans that cover all elective abortions and moves well beyond the status quo of preventing federal funds from paying for abortion or subsidizing plans that covers abortion as is prevented under current laws governing Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan and the State Children's Health Insurance Plan. On Friday morning at the Values Voter Summit, this issue will be discussed in greater detail during a congressional panel discussion.
Responding, Tony Perkins said:
"Senator Baucus' new health care bill puts to rest the President's claim that 'abortion is not included' in the Senate health care bill. The Baucus plan includes abortion, pure and simple. Like the Capps abortion amendment in the House bill, the Baucus plan would subsidize health plans that cover elective abortions but with tax credits. The accounting used in the bill is a matter of smoke and mirrors, since elective abortion is authorized for health plans receiving government subsidies.
"The Baucus bill goes even farther by mandating that there be at least one health plan in each region across the country which covers elective abortions. Such a government mandate of abortion-covered plans in each state exchange and subsidizing such plans does little to prevent 'federal funding of abortion' as President Obama said last week. Moreover, the Baucus bill would spend $6 billion to establish health care co-ops and this funding could be used for elective abortion because it is not subject to the Hyde Amendment appropriations provision.
"If President Obama is serious about preventing funding for abortion in health care reform, he should immediately support adoption of Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment to exclude abortion from all health care reform legislation. Democrat Senator Bob Casey voted for such an amendment in the Senate Health Committee.
"It's time for President Obama to stop the smoke and mirrors on abortion and health care and straightforwardly tell Congress to permanently exclude abortion coverage."
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Teamsters Oppose Baucus Plan to Tax Health Insurance Companies
/PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said the proposal to impose a 35 percent tax on insurers for individual health insurance plans worth more than $8,000 is unfair and unnecessary.
The proposal, introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, would also levy the 35 percent tax for family plans worth $21,000.
"We're pleased that Sen. Baucus stopped short of taxing American workers directly, but we fear that ultimately they will pay the price in higher-cost insurance," Hoffa said. "Middle-class wage earners cannot afford to pay more for health insurance than they already do. We much prefer the House plan, which would pay for expanded coverage by imposing a surcharge on those who can afford it - the wealthiest Americans."
"We will fight to convince the conference committee to drop this excise tax," he said.
Hoffa said the proposal misses the point that many plans are expensive because insurers have too much market power, not because they offer more health care than cheaper plans.
Hoffa also said the plan includes some laudable proposals, and he welcomed the progress toward insurance-market reform that is so urgently needed.
"We're pleased that the plan eliminates lifetime limits on coverage," Hoffa said. "But we're disappointed that it doesn't include a requirement that employers provide coverage for their employees."
"We do applaud his efforts to expand Medicaid to cover anyone with income less than 133 percent of the poverty level, including childless adults," Hoffa said.
Hoffa said the Teamsters support the House plan and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee plan.
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The proposal, introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, would also levy the 35 percent tax for family plans worth $21,000.
"We're pleased that Sen. Baucus stopped short of taxing American workers directly, but we fear that ultimately they will pay the price in higher-cost insurance," Hoffa said. "Middle-class wage earners cannot afford to pay more for health insurance than they already do. We much prefer the House plan, which would pay for expanded coverage by imposing a surcharge on those who can afford it - the wealthiest Americans."
"We will fight to convince the conference committee to drop this excise tax," he said.
Hoffa said the proposal misses the point that many plans are expensive because insurers have too much market power, not because they offer more health care than cheaper plans.
Hoffa also said the plan includes some laudable proposals, and he welcomed the progress toward insurance-market reform that is so urgently needed.
"We're pleased that the plan eliminates lifetime limits on coverage," Hoffa said. "But we're disappointed that it doesn't include a requirement that employers provide coverage for their employees."
"We do applaud his efforts to expand Medicaid to cover anyone with income less than 133 percent of the poverty level, including childless adults," Hoffa said.
Hoffa said the Teamsters support the House plan and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee plan.
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