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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. I have worked for years to get the U.S. Congress to address the need for health reform, and I am very pleased that it is finally doing so. 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 every American receives coverage
Every American 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. It is unacceptable that millions more pay for insurance that does not begin to cover their medical needs, that exempts pre-existing conditions, or that drops sick individuals from coverage. It is unacceptable that medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. We must work to 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 optionThe best way to ensure every American is guaranteed good, affordable health care coverage is not to rely only on private insurers. While Americans should be able to retain their current coverage if they choose, providing a strong public option will keep health care costs down for all Americans, even those who retain their private care.
Taking a fiscally responsible approachReforming our health care system also is 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 likely will require significant initial investments, but, if done right, it can also yield significant savings in the near future. These initial investments can be at least partially offset by addressing current overpayments, waste and fraud in the system, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent in the most effective and efficient manner. For example, by adopting the Wisconsin model for health care delivery, taxpayers will save billions of dollars.
Strengthening long-term community careI am committed to making long-term care a key part of any reform. Since my time as chairman 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 smart choice to meet both the preferences of families and the need to spend government funds efficiently.
Restoring fairness to Medicare reimbursementThe 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 Medicare reimbursement formula. Seniors, employers, employees and health care providers all are hurt by this problem. I’ve been fighting to fix this problem for years, and was part of a successful effort in 2003 to improve the payment structure. I’ve also introduced bipartisan legislation called the Rural Medicare Equity Act to address Medicare’s discrimination against seniors and health care providers in rural America. But more work needs to be done. Reducing the inequities in Medicare reimbursement payments is a priority of mine as Congress tackles health care reform.
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