OGDEN — Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, believes the "health" needs to go back into "health care."
And he's co-architect of bipartisan federal legislation that would uncouple insurance from employer control and make other changes aimed at giving everyone access to health insurance coverage.
Friday morning, he discussed the "Healthy Americans Act" with members of the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association in an informal gathering at McKay-Dee Hospital.
Co-sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who first came up with it, the legislation focuses on principles of portability (the insurance is tied to you, not your employer), individual access with a range of choices and a range of costs, rewards for healthy behaviors and prevention, and market forces, among others.
The senator admitted that any health reform is a tough sell. After Hillary Clinton's attempt at health care reform in the 1990s, "Congress has refused to address health care in an intelligent way in over a decade."
But he thinks, he said, the time is ripe to try again. And while he thinks the chance of passing this reform before December of next year is "less than 50-50," it is "not zero, either."
That change, he said, is because Republicans have always resisted universal coverage — "code for single-payer, government-run." Democrats have resisted market forces — "code for big business making lots of money." But there are 45 million Americans with no coverage, and Wyden and Bennett decided they could work together for something both sides could embrace.
Significant change, however, will hinge on altering tax laws that embrace a post-WWII, employer-based system, he said.
Among other things, the act would:
Create a federal insurance "connector" system of universal health care administered by individual states to meet their citizens' needs.
Mandate private insurance coverage for all adult citizens and lawful residents.
Guarantee private insurance coverage for them.
Subsidize premiums on a sliding fee
Offer discounts for wellness efforts.
Ensure coverage of children through various programs including Medicaid funding, federal grants and free care.
Reform medical malpractice and promote arbitration, not litigation.
Require insurance companies to use community rating principles to determine premiums, considering geography, smoking status and family size, but not age, gender, industry, health status, claims experience or genetic information.
Require employers to share in "responsibility payments" for employees (not taxable to the employees if used for insurance).
There are dozens of other requirements, as well.
Bennett said the private insurance market would participate because the risk would be spread out. And initially, insurance would come through employers to maintain coverage for the 85 percent of Americans who now access health insurance that way. But the employee would be able to take that money and buy the insurance that makes the most sense in his or her situation.
The act also has financial penalties for those who don't buy insurance.
Over 10 years, he said, a well-respected company that analyzes health care quality and costs estimated $1.3 trillion would be saved.
The bill, Bennett told UHA members, is a work in progress. He said he knows there are problems that need to be worked out, and there are things they likely haven't considered, so he encourages people to look it over and "send me a letter."
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