Health Care Industry Leaders Respond to Senate Finance Committee Vote

By Holly Hayes

The American Hospital Association (AHA) posted this statement on their website in response to the Senate Finance Committee vote on October 13, 2009, on the health care reform bill.

The Senate Finance Committee today (October 13, 2009) voted 14-9 to approve health care reform legislation that would expand health coverage to 91% of U.S. residents. The bill received one Republican vote, from Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would cost $829 billion over 10 years, is fully paid for, and reduces the federal deficit by $81 billion. It would create non-profit health care co-ops instead of a public plan option to compete with private insurance plans. The co-ops would negotiate payment rates with providers. ‘Today, the Senate Finance Committee reached an important milestone on the road to health reform,’ said Rich Umbdenstock, AHA’s president and CEO. ‘Like Chairman Baucus and other members of the committee, we remain concerned about the need to further expand the level of coverage in the bill. As efforts begin to merge the two Senate bills, we will work to ensure that even more of the uninsured have health care coverage.’

The American Nurses Association (ANA) issued a statement regarding the Senate Finance Committee vote supporting inclusion of the public plan option in the health care reform bill.

The American Medical Association (AMA) website did not have a response to the October 13, 2009, Senate Finance Committee vote on the health care reform bill. The AMA does list the elements necessary for health care reform, emphasizing the need for medical liability reforms to reduce defensive medicine costs.

The AMA website identifies the seven critical elements they find necessary “to improve access to affordable, quality care and reduce unnecessary costs in the current system:”

Health insurance coverage for all Americans

Insurance market reforms that expand choice of affordable coverage and eliminate denials for pre-existing conditions

Assurance that health care decisions will remain in the hands of patients and their physicians, not insurance companies or government officials

Investments and incentives for quality improvement, prevention and wellness initiatives

Repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula that would trigger steep cuts and threaten seniors’ access to care

Implementation of medical liability reforms to reduce the cost of defensive medicine

Streamlining and standardizing of insurance claims processing requirements to eliminate unnecessary costs and administrative burdens

The challenges in our health care system are many and complex. Enactment of the above policies will create the foundation for a stronger, better performing health care system, improve access to affordable, high-quality care and reduce unnecessary costs. Further, those who are currently insured, including Medicare patients, and those who are uninsured will all benefit from greater security and stability.

The AMA and our individual members are working hard to improve health care delivery and quality through a broad range of initiatives to promote best practices and reduce unnecessary costs.

Technorati Tags: Tort Reform, Healthcare President Obama, arbitration, ADR, law, mediation

---

Holly Hayes is a mediator at Karl Bayer, Dispute Resolution Expert where she focuses on mediation of health care disputes. Holly holds a B.A. from Southern Methodist University and a Masters in Health Administration from Duke University. She can be reached at: holly@karlbayer.com.