Over the past several months, people in Washington
have been working to carefully craft a health care reform package. Though
progress has been steady, there are still several proposals in flux. Please
be aware that neither the House nor the Senate has formulated one bill, and
that no final decisions have been made about what will be included in
health reform.
Most of us agree that reforming and improving our health care system is
necessary, and we cannot afford to wait another 10 or 20 years until health
care costs consume an even greater percentage of the economy and the
budgets of American families.
Consider this: The United States spends $7,290 on health care per
person, per year - while the average spent by the 30 most developed
countries is $2,960. It is unacceptable that we have so much more of our
money tied up in health care, yet we are not delivering demonstrably better
health care than many of these countries. Studies show that the U.S.
ranks below average on major health indicators, including infant mortality
and life expectancy, when compared with the rest of the world.
We currently rank 44th in infant mortality and 30th in life expectancy,
with the average American living to 78 years of age. By comparison, Japan
spends $2,550 on health care per person each year - just over a third of
what the U.S.
spends - and boasts a life expectancy of 83 years.
There is no doubt that American health care is breaking the bank and
making us less competitive in the world economy. Money that should be going
to wage increases and helping to make our businesses more competitive is
instead going to pay for increases in health care costs. This will not
change until we get a handle on those costs.
Controlling costs is a goal we can all support in principle, especially
when other countries have demonstrated that quality health care can be
delivered at a much lower cost. We can start controlling costs by paying
for value of care, not volume, and eliminating duplicative testing and
over-treatment. If we can do that, then our health care system - and America's
patients - will be in better shape. We need to ensure that all health care
systems provide better care in a more efficient way, and reward those
systems that already do so, such as the ones we have in several locations
in Wisconsin.
America's
health systems should expand the use of health information technology,
which has been shown to save lives by reducing medical errors and save
money by promoting efficiency in testing and communication. We can support
the use of generic drugs and get generic equivalents on the market faster.
And we can encourage Americans to engage in preventive care and healthy
lifestyles.
Many of these money-saving ideas are not controversial. The fact is that
there is a lot that we can all agree on. We agree that we need to expand
coverage to most, if not all, Americans. We also agree that people should
not be denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions. The principles
we agree on far outnumber those on which we differ.
In addition to saving costs, health reform can do so much good for the
average American. We want to limit your out-of-pocket expenses and co-pays.
We want to make sure your coverage is not dropped just when you get sick
and need it most. We want to eliminate caps on coverage, offer free
preventive care and protect small businesses from the crushing costs of
health care.
Despite all these positive changes that will benefit individual
Americans, the debate surrounding health care threatens to get out of hand.
False reports about what will be included in health care reform have taken
on a life of their own. We need to strip away the rhetoric and dispel some
of these rumors, many of which are meant to scare older Americans.
The most important thing for seniors to know is that health care reform
will not diminish Medicare, the health care program those 65 and older have
come to value. As we all know, Medicare provides older Americans with
quality health care at a cost that is affordable.
Seniors are happy with Medicare. In fact, Medicare, a government-run
program, boasts a satisfaction rate even higher than private insurance. The
reform proposals to date are intended to strengthen Medicare, and will not
make any significant changes to the way seniors receive their health care
services.
As for the rumors out there about how health care will be drastically
changed for the worse, you can rest assured: Health care reform will not
limit choices, take away treatment options, ration care, eliminate private
insurance, or tell you how or when to die. These things are not going to
happen.
In the meantime, we hear you. We hear your needs and we hear your
concerns. Your perspectives are invaluable, and we will continue to keep
American families in mind as we work to complete a health reform package
that starts to get costs under control, continues to provide high quality
care, and begins to expand coverage to include most, if not all, Americans.
Sincerely,
