/PRNewswire/ -- The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) today called upon Congress to put an immediate end to lifetime and annual health insurance caps. In a full-page ad in The Politico, a newspaper distributed widely on Capitol Hill, NORD said the current Senate health reform bill includes loopholes that would allow caps to continue for most Americans, contrary to what many people believe.
"NORD supports health care reform and welcomes the promises made by President Obama and Congress to eliminate lifetime and annual caps," said NORD President Peter L. Saltonstall. "However, under the current version of the Senate bill, caps would continue for several years for many people and would never be eliminated for others."
Private insurers often set lifetime or annual caps on the amount of health care coverage an individual may have. For Americans with chronic diseases, rare disorders, or major medical crises, this can lead to financial crisis or bankruptcy when insurance benefits are exhausted.
The health care reform debate has focused a spotlight on this problem. President Obama promised this fall that the caps would be eliminated under health reform, noting that insurance companies would "no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime." Originally, the Senate health reform debate also advocated eliminating the caps.
However, the current version of the Senate bill provides for "grandfathering" existing insurance plans so that existing plans would be subject to annual lifetime caps indefinitely. The bill also allows self-insured plans to impose annual or lifetime caps indefinitely, which means that many people with employer-provided insurance would still be subject to caps. Even when the bill would require eliminating caps, it would not require doing so for several years.
Earlier this fall, NORD sent a letter to all members of Congress and President Obama outlining four measures that it considers essential to any health reform plan: prohibiting discrimination based on pre-existing conditions; protecting patients against catastrophic out-of-pocket costs and lifetime or annual caps; prohibiting insurers from canceling policies as a result of medical diagnoses; and including tax credits and other direct financing support to assure that all Americans can afford coverage.
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Showing posts with label president obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label president obama. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sebelius Statement on New Medicare Trustees' Report
President Obama understands that Medicare is an essential program that
provides care for millions of our seniors and the disabled. We will do
whatever it takes to protect it.
But today's report should trouble anyone who is concerned about the
future of Medicare and health care in America. Just as families,
communities and businesses are struggling under the crushing burden of
skyrocketing health care costs, so too are our Medicare Trust funds.
This isn't just another government report. It's a wake up call for
everyone who is concerned about Medicare and the health of our economy.
And it's yet another sign that we can't wait for real, comprehensive
health reform.
I want to highlight two examples of the problem we're facing. First, the
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund helps cover the cost of beneficiaries'
hospital stays and related care. Today, the fund spends more than it
takes in and we make up the difference using assets from the fund. But
in 2017 - eight years from now - those assets will be exhausted if we
don't do something. Second, the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust
Fund helps pay for medical care and prescription drugs. This fund is
solvent, but only because premiums and general revenue financing are
reset every year, requiring seniors and the Federal budget to pay more
for their care. If health care costs keep going up, our beneficiaries
will continue to see their premiums rise at unsustainable rates.
I know this alarm has been sounded before. Politicians have been
worrying about the growth of Medicare spending for many years.
The Obama Administration isn't just worrying; we're doing something
about it. And if we want to bring down the cost of health care in this
country and strengthen our economy, then we all must show leadership and
take action to control costs.
At the Department of Health and Human Services, we have started using
our administrative authorities to keep Medicare costs in check.
The President's budget is another crucial step. It includes new
incentives that put quality first, make Medicare more efficient and save
taxpayer dollars. The President's budget also fights fraud in Medicare
that costs us billions each year by providing a 50 percent increase in
funding to help crack down on anyone who tries to cheat the system.
We are working with Congress on legislation that includes and goes
beyond the cost-savings policies in the President's budget. The only
way to slow Medicare spending is to slow overall health system spending
through comprehensive and carefully crafted legislation.
But we cannot do it alone. Yesterday the President stood with the
health care leaders from the private sector who have come together to
pledge to cut health care spending by $2 trillion over 10 years, which
would result in savings of $2,500 for a family of four.
Medicare is central to the effort to promote high-quality, affordable
health care for all Americans. As the nation's largest insurer, its
success will both improve the lives of seniors and disabled
beneficiaries and set the standard for other insurers. But we know that
its success in becoming a strong and sustainable program depends on our
ability to fix what's broken in the rest of the system. When previously
uninsured Americans join Medicare, they are less healthy and cost the
system more. Giving the uninsured coverage before they join Medicare
will improve their quality of life and save money for Medicare.
If we fail to take action, health care costs will only get worse and
Medicare spending will increase. Businesses will see more of their
profits consumed by health care. Families will continue to struggle.
We know that bending the cost curve is an important component of health
care reform, and key to strengthening Medicare.
And this report makes it clear: reform can't wait. All of us in the
Administration look forward to working with Congress to make reform a
reality.
-----
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provides care for millions of our seniors and the disabled. We will do
whatever it takes to protect it.
But today's report should trouble anyone who is concerned about the
future of Medicare and health care in America. Just as families,
communities and businesses are struggling under the crushing burden of
skyrocketing health care costs, so too are our Medicare Trust funds.
This isn't just another government report. It's a wake up call for
everyone who is concerned about Medicare and the health of our economy.
And it's yet another sign that we can't wait for real, comprehensive
health reform.
I want to highlight two examples of the problem we're facing. First, the
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund helps cover the cost of beneficiaries'
hospital stays and related care. Today, the fund spends more than it
takes in and we make up the difference using assets from the fund. But
in 2017 - eight years from now - those assets will be exhausted if we
don't do something. Second, the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust
Fund helps pay for medical care and prescription drugs. This fund is
solvent, but only because premiums and general revenue financing are
reset every year, requiring seniors and the Federal budget to pay more
for their care. If health care costs keep going up, our beneficiaries
will continue to see their premiums rise at unsustainable rates.
I know this alarm has been sounded before. Politicians have been
worrying about the growth of Medicare spending for many years.
The Obama Administration isn't just worrying; we're doing something
about it. And if we want to bring down the cost of health care in this
country and strengthen our economy, then we all must show leadership and
take action to control costs.
At the Department of Health and Human Services, we have started using
our administrative authorities to keep Medicare costs in check.
The President's budget is another crucial step. It includes new
incentives that put quality first, make Medicare more efficient and save
taxpayer dollars. The President's budget also fights fraud in Medicare
that costs us billions each year by providing a 50 percent increase in
funding to help crack down on anyone who tries to cheat the system.
We are working with Congress on legislation that includes and goes
beyond the cost-savings policies in the President's budget. The only
way to slow Medicare spending is to slow overall health system spending
through comprehensive and carefully crafted legislation.
But we cannot do it alone. Yesterday the President stood with the
health care leaders from the private sector who have come together to
pledge to cut health care spending by $2 trillion over 10 years, which
would result in savings of $2,500 for a family of four.
Medicare is central to the effort to promote high-quality, affordable
health care for all Americans. As the nation's largest insurer, its
success will both improve the lives of seniors and disabled
beneficiaries and set the standard for other insurers. But we know that
its success in becoming a strong and sustainable program depends on our
ability to fix what's broken in the rest of the system. When previously
uninsured Americans join Medicare, they are less healthy and cost the
system more. Giving the uninsured coverage before they join Medicare
will improve their quality of life and save money for Medicare.
If we fail to take action, health care costs will only get worse and
Medicare spending will increase. Businesses will see more of their
profits consumed by health care. Families will continue to struggle.
We know that bending the cost curve is an important component of health
care reform, and key to strengthening Medicare.
And this report makes it clear: reform can't wait. All of us in the
Administration look forward to working with Congress to make reform a
reality.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.politicalpotluck.com
Political News You Can Use
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