For Immediate Release --October 12, 1999
PROVIDING ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE
Washington--The
U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that 44.3 million people lacked health
insurance in 1998. That figure represents an increase of 1 million uninsured
over the previous year. By all measures, this is a troubling trend. The working
uninsured have little, if any, access to quality health care.
Addressing
this problem, and others affecting our health care system, can be complicated.
Sometimes, the cure can be worse than the disease. For example, in 1993,
President Clinton proposed a massive government takeover of the entire health
care economy. According to numerous studies, his bureaucracy-heavy plan would
have reduced health care access and quality. For these and other reasons, it was
heartily rejected by Congress, and by extension, the American people.
Congress has drafted a better plan that will help people gain access to
health care without driving up health insurance costs or piling on additional
layers of red tape. The Quality Care for the Uninsured Act, which recently
passed the House by a vote of 227 to 205, includes a number of provisions that
will help make the cost of health care insurance more affordable.
One
such provision will encourage people to buy long-term health care insurance, an
issue that is a top legislative priority for me. This is important because by
the year 2050, 19 million people will need long-term health care. In March, I
introduced H.R. 1261, the Long-Term Care Insurance Act of 1999. As part of that
bill, I included a 100 percent, above-the-line, tax deduction to cover the cost
of a qualified long-term care insurance premium. I was pleased to see that
provision included in the Quality Care for the Uninsured Act.
The bill
also recognizes that more than 60 percent of the uninsured have one thing in
common: they are either self-employed or their family is employed by a small
business that cannot afford health benefits. For that reason, the Quality Care
bill gives the self-employed and the uninsured a 100 percent tax deduction for
the cost of health care insurance. In addition, employers will have the freedom
to design more affordable benefit options.
Another way to provide access
for the uninsured is through Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). The Quality Care
bill includes MSAs, which can be an effective way for some who choose to pay a
high deductible, while covering routine medical expenses out of pocket.
Much of the discussion on health care of late has focused on HMOs. I
think the recent HMO debate in Congress was needed. There exist several
approaches to the manner in which HMOs are to be held accountable for their
actions. Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to that effect. But
both bills contain key differences that must be reconciled in a conference
committee. I will be actively involved in that process to ensure that adequate
patient protections become law.
And as part of that conference, we will
focus on the uninsured. By making the Quality Care for the Uninsured Act a
central part of our conference, Congress will help the uninsured get access to
the affordable, quality health care they need.
Please share your
opinions with me. I can best be reached by writing: Congressman Dave Hobson,
1514 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. Also, visit the
7th District Homepage on the Internet: http://www.house.gov/hobson