Each year, I travel to all of Wisconsin's 72 counties and hold an open, town hall-style meeting. In the 17 years I've held these listening sessions, health care has consistently been one of the top issues raised, particularly the skyrocketing cost and difficulty accessing health care. Having listened to the concerns of families, businesses, health-care professionals and others about why health-care reform is so urgently needed, I have the following goals as Congress undertakes this vital and long-overdue debate:
Guaranteeing coverage for all Americans: Every Wisconsinite deserves guaranteed, affordable, high-quality health care — just like every member of Congress has. For too long, Congress has delayed action on reforming our health-care system and now that system is in crisis. It is unacceptable that more than 46 million Americans are uninsured, and that millions more pay for insurance that does not begin to cover their medical needs. We must create a health-care system where the excellent health care that is now only available to some Americans will be available to all.
Supporting a strong public option: While Wisconsinites should be able to retain their current coverage if they choose, providing a strong public health insurance option will allow the government to compete with private insurers in the health insurance market in order to keep health-care costs down for all Wisconsinites, even those who retain their private care. One major benefit of a public option is it would bring welcome relief to areas of our state with high unemployment rates. A public health insurance option would be invaluable to those who have recently been laid off, because it is a guaranteed, affordable option that can travel with an individual from job to job.
Taking a fiscally responsible approach: Reforming our health-care system is also an economic imperative. Americans spend an unsustainable $2.2 trillion on health care each year. From ensuring the solvency of our entitlement programs to helping households across the country balance their checkbooks, reforming health care is necessary to getting health spending under control. Health reform will likely require significant initial investments, but, if done right, it can also yield significant savings in the near future. For example, by adopting the Wisconsin model for health-care delivery, taxpayers would save billions of dollars.
Strengthening long-term and community care: I am committed to making long-term care a key part of any reform. Since my time as chair of the Wisconsin State Senate's Aging Committee, I have worked to give seniors and others needing long-term care the choice to remain in their own homes and communities instead of entering institutional care. Wisconsin's nursing homes provide an invaluable service to our communities, but nursing homes should not be the only option for receiving care. Long-term care must be part of health-care reform because helping more people live in their homes is the best way to meet the preferences of families while saving taxpayer dollars.
Restoring fairness to Medicare reimbursement: The Medicare reimbursement formula has shortchanged Wisconsin for far too long. It is unacceptable that Medicare provides a more generous reimbursement rate for a procedure done in other states than it does when the same procedure is done in Wisconsin, simply because of an outdated and flawed reimbursement formula. I've been fighting to fix this problem for years, and reducing the inequities in Medicare reimbursement payments is a priority of mine as Congress tackles health-care reform.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น