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President Obama's Health Care Reform: What Does It Mean For You?
By: Wendy Thomas, The New Hampshire Challenge Staff Reporter
President Obama's Health Care Reform has been front and center in the news lately, but what does it really mean for people with disabilities in New Hampshire? At this point, the truth of the matter is that it is difficult to pin down specifics. The question can't be answered with complete accuracy until congress approves legislation. But there are some things that we know for certain.
An important aspect to all current proposals being considered is that is no changes to health insurance will be made until 2013. This means that our current health care platform will be in force for the next four years.
Health Insurance will still cost money. One goal of the Health Care reform is to provide ways to make health insurance more affordable, and while it appears likely that health insurance plans will be subsidized for low income households, this does not mean that health insurance will be cheaper or free for everyone.
Under the Health Care reform, you may be forced to purchase a health insurance policy. There could be a requirement that states everyone must purchase a health insurance policy. This requirement attempts to limit the amount of people who only apply for coverage when they become sick.
Health insurance companies will be required to accept everyone. Along with a requirement that will force you to purchase insurance, the insurance carriers will be forced to accept you into their plans regardless of pre-existing conditions. This means you will have health insurance despite any health problems, an area of extreme concern for individuals with disabilities.
One area that is being carefully watched in the Health Care reform proposals regards any levels of changes to Medicaid reimbursement. One proposal that is being considered around the House and Senate would allow people to go on Medicaid at less than the current established poverty level. Right now people with disabilities have to become medically disabled in order to qualify for Medicaid. This means you have to have be certified disabled by a Doctor and not working for four years.
If you or I became unemployed and drew down our assets to the determined monetary level, unlike now, we could automatically be eligible for Medicaid under the reform.
Almost every person with a disability could automatically be on Medicaid. This is a huge change that could affect budgets and potentially where patients get treated everywhere.
For now, though, we have to wait and see. There are a lot of ideas and proposals floating around on Capital Hill. This is one case, where we definitely won't know until we know.
What our elected officials have to say about the Health Care reform
While a lot of our elected officials canft comment on what may or may not happen with the Health Care reform bill and are waiting to find out just as we are, a quick tour of their websites tells us what their priorities and positions on the Health Care reform are.
US Senator Gregg
As former Chairman and current member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Gregg is a key leader on health care and continues to play a significant role in crafting legislation to reform our nation's health care system.Whether it is ensuring that every American has the opportunity to purchase affordable health insurance or improving the quality of care, Senator Gregg has been a driving force behind passing legislation and addressing these issues which are critically important to all Americans.
US Senator Shaheen
On her website, US Senator Shaheen states that with 47 million uninsured Americans and health care spending accounting for 16% of our country's GDP, there is no question that the health care system is broken. Senator Shaheen knows that middle class families across New Hampshire face bankruptcy due to medical debt, and an increasing number of small businesses can't afford to offer their employees adequate coverage.
Senator Shaheen proposes that we can reduce health care costs by transitioning to electronic medical records, focusing on preventive care, and improving chronic disease management.
Senator Shaheen attended the President's Health Care Summit in March 2009, and she will continue to make sure New Hampshirefs interests are represented during the upcoming health care reform deliberations. She is committed to making our health care system for everyone in New Hampshire, and that's why she joined the Senate Rural Health Care Caucus early in the 111th Congress and supported legislation that significantly increased funding for community health clinics.
US Representative Hodes
From his website, Paul Hodes states "Every American should have portable, affordable, quality health insurance. Congressman Hodes voted for the economic plan, which included a down payment to reduce the cost of health care for every American. He believes that putting a down payment on health care reform is fiscally responsible, and a critical step in reducing health care costs for Granite Staters.
"Americans are struggling with the rising costs of healthcare. These costs are threatening the financial security of hard working families acrossNew Hampshire and the country. It is time stop the influence of special interests, and finally end the gridlock in Washington. Congressman Hodes believes that healthcare and financial security should be accessible to all Granite Staters."
US Representative Shea-Porter
Recently, the three Committees that have jurisdiction over the health care bill in the House of Representatives [Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor] unveiled a health care reform bill that will increase health care coverage and affordability. If health care reform legislation is enacted, the First District of New Hampshire stands to reap significant gains. Individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance, smallbusinesses could receive tax credits to provide health insurance coverage, seniors would avoid the doughnut hole in Medicare Part D, families could escape bankruptcy due to unaffordable costs, and health care providers would be reimbursed for uncompensated care.
The legislation, as introduced, creates a Health Insurance Exchange, a transparent and functional marketplace forqualifiedindividuals and small employers to comparison shop among private and public insurers. Within the Exchange there will be a new public option that will create a new choice in the system. The public option will be subject to the same market reforms and consumer protections as private plans in the Exchange. At a time when health care premiums are soaring, the public option will force insurance companies to compete for business.
This bill also reduces the growth in health care spending. It invests in prevention and wellness measures, and increases access to primary care. It also stops insurance companies from denying coverage due to preexisting conditions, and reforms Medicare and Medicaid. These savings will help families, employers, and taxpayers.Shea-Porter supports the principle of health care reform, and she supports a public option. However, under this plan, if you are happy with your present insurance, you can keep it. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, she is closely monitoring the progress being made toward reform.
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