The past year, 2008, brought plenty of attention and legislative activity regarding health care and health insurance. The amount of activity tells us that the American public wants something to be done, one way or another. Skyrocketing costs for health insurance premiums, higher deductibles, and expensive prescriptions are all reasons that the rate of health care coverage for all Americans continues to drop, as fewer and fewer can afford coverage. Recently in Washington DC, a health care forum was sponsored by two non-partisan groups at which Senate spokespersons sounded confident for major changes in 2009.
Since Senator Kennedy (D-MA) relinquished his seat on the Senate Judiciary committee a few weeks ago to work specifically on health care reform, the resolve in Congress to pass sweeping legislation seems to be growing. John McDonough, a health care aide to Senator Kennedy stated that the Senator is committed to achieving comprehensive health care reform and is very confident it can be done in the upcoming Congress.
Dr. Mark L. Hayes, the Senate Finance Committee's GOP Health Policy Advisor addressed the need for bipartisanship if a bill is to get passed. He stated that something must be done now rather than later, and that the cost of not acting now instead of in 15 years could be severe, considering that Federal health care spending is growing at a rate that can not be maintained. Similarly, Charles Clapton, the Republican Health Policy Director advised that he also thought health care reform could get done with Republican support. But with the huge deficits facing Congress, the money would have to be reallocated from other needy programs. He said that the Republicans want a system which will emphasize that private plans should be delivering the benefit instead of the government because the private sector could provide the most innovation, unencumbered by government.
Jocelyn Moore, an aide to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), said that Senator Rockefeller is ready and eager to work with the Administration and the Congressional leadership to make sure that the goal of comprehensive health care reform is achieved. She said that there will be no options taken off the table and that the window is wide open for reform. Specific issues to be addressed should include increased coverage and affordability, reining in skyrocketing unnecessary spending, and development of preventative care programs.
The importance of health care and insurance is not likely to wane any time soon. With employers shedding nearly 1.2 million jobs in November and December alone, the unemployed are likely to be forced to drop any existing health care coverage they currently have out of financial necessity. Hopefully Congress will find a way to put aside differences and pass an acceptable verson of comprehensive universal health care coverage in 2009. - 16459
Since Senator Kennedy (D-MA) relinquished his seat on the Senate Judiciary committee a few weeks ago to work specifically on health care reform, the resolve in Congress to pass sweeping legislation seems to be growing. John McDonough, a health care aide to Senator Kennedy stated that the Senator is committed to achieving comprehensive health care reform and is very confident it can be done in the upcoming Congress.
Dr. Mark L. Hayes, the Senate Finance Committee's GOP Health Policy Advisor addressed the need for bipartisanship if a bill is to get passed. He stated that something must be done now rather than later, and that the cost of not acting now instead of in 15 years could be severe, considering that Federal health care spending is growing at a rate that can not be maintained. Similarly, Charles Clapton, the Republican Health Policy Director advised that he also thought health care reform could get done with Republican support. But with the huge deficits facing Congress, the money would have to be reallocated from other needy programs. He said that the Republicans want a system which will emphasize that private plans should be delivering the benefit instead of the government because the private sector could provide the most innovation, unencumbered by government.
Jocelyn Moore, an aide to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), said that Senator Rockefeller is ready and eager to work with the Administration and the Congressional leadership to make sure that the goal of comprehensive health care reform is achieved. She said that there will be no options taken off the table and that the window is wide open for reform. Specific issues to be addressed should include increased coverage and affordability, reining in skyrocketing unnecessary spending, and development of preventative care programs.
The importance of health care and insurance is not likely to wane any time soon. With employers shedding nearly 1.2 million jobs in November and December alone, the unemployed are likely to be forced to drop any existing health care coverage they currently have out of financial necessity. Hopefully Congress will find a way to put aside differences and pass an acceptable verson of comprehensive universal health care coverage in 2009. - 16459
About the Author:
Texas has long been a retirement haven for seniors, and looking for solutions for Texas health insurance can be a challenge. If you're looking to find solutions for your medical insurance needs, be sure to visit www.GoHealthInsurance.com. They offer the most comprehensive collection of health insurance information on the web.
