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May 10, 2006 -- A bipartisan bill designed to expand
health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans
while improving quality and efficiency was introduced in
the U.S. Senate on May 9, 2006.
Arthur Garson Jr., M.D., Vice President and Dean of the
School of Medicine of the University of Virginia and other
health policy experts worked closely with senators George
Voinovich (R-OH) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on its development.
The bill was unveiled at a press conference in Washington
D.C. Under the Health Partnership Act, Congress would authorize
grants to individual states, groups of states and Indian
tribes to carry out any of a broad range of strategies
to increase health care coverage; ensure patients receive
high quality appropriate care; improve the efficiency of
health spending; and use information technology to improve
infrastructure.
“States have shown themselves to be the innovators
in health care systems; what has been lacking is a mechanism
by which
states could learn from each other and then implement best
practices. This bill creates a framework for action,” said
Garson. “We need to take action, as the number of
uninsured in our country has now topped 46 million, nearly
one-in-seven Americans—on its way to one-in-five
in the next few years.”
To put this in perspective, 46 million people without insurance
is more than the combined populations of Canada and Australia;
more than the aggregate population of 24 states. And more
than the number of people in the U.S. who are covered by
Medicare.
Nearly half of small businesses with between three and
nine workers do not provide health insurance for their
employees. The skyrocketing cost of health insurance premiums
forces many businesses (some of them not small) into the
decision of offering health care insurance or staying in
business.
For those Americans living near or below the poverty line,
after paying for food, housing, transportation and child
care needs, roughly 3 to 5 percent of their income is left
for health care insurance. When a family insurance premium
ranges from $2,300 to $10,000 annually, health insurance
quickly becomes a luxury that many people cannot afford.
“The uninsured are the people we meet every day:
waiters, clerks in the local cleaners, people that help
us at some
large discount stores. These are not faceless people. One
of my first patients had successful heart surgery at the
age of 5 only to die suddenly at 19; she had not refilled
a vital prescription after her Medicaid ran out. ” said
Garson.
Garson worked with an Institutes of Medicine panel that
first developed the state model concept. He then worked
with others involved in healthcare policy to turn these
ideas into a bill that will expand coverage to millions
of Americans as well as improve efficiency by getting rid
of paperwork burdens and introducing electronic systems.
In addition, the bill will incorporate quality measures
to provide the best care possible in the most cost-effective
way possible.
“I want to commend Senators Voinovich and Bingaman
for taking the first real national steps in a long time
to improving
our entire health care system, said Garson.”
Health Partnership Act Summary:
Each state’s grant application would be required
to:
a) Describe the manner in which the state would ensure
that an increased number of individuals gain access to
health care coverage with a specific five-year target;
b) Provide a plan to improve overall health delivery quality,
including safety and medical errors;
c) Reduce administrative costs (including paperwork burdens)
and
d) Provide methodology for the use of health IT to improve
infrastructure.
State Plans: States desiring to implement a state health
care expansion and improvement program would submit an
application to a federal “State Health Innovation
Commission” housed at the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS). The Commission would be comprised
of the Secretary of HHS, four state governors (appointed
by NGA), two members of state legislators (to be appointed
by the NCSL), two county officials (to be appointed by
National Association of Counties), four members of the
United States House of Representatives, and four Senators.
State Health Innovation Commission: The Commission would
approve a variety of reform options (“toolbox”),
including tax credit approaches; expansion of Medicaid
or SCHIIP; creation of pooling arrangements like the FEHBP;
single payer systems; health savings accounts; or a combination
of these or other options.
Plan Approval: After reviewing the state proposals, the
Commission would submit to Congress a list of recommended
state applications. The Commission would also recommend
the amount of federal grant money each state should receive
to carry out the actions described in their plan.
Reports: At the end of the five year period, the Commission would
be required to report to Congress whether the states are
meeting the goals of the Act and recommend future action
Congress should take concerning overall reform, including
whether or not to extend the program.
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