BOROUGH’S REPS BACK HEALTH BILL

Queens’ six Members of Congress voted last Saturday, Nov. 7, to approve the “Affordable Health Care for America Act,” the House of Representatives’ version of a national health care reform bill.

The act, also known as H.R. 3962, passed the House narrowly during the Saturday night vote in Washington, with 220 of the 435 voting members approving the measure. As reported, the vote was split largely on party lines, with only one Republican siding with the majority and 39 Democrats voting against the plan.

The Queens delegation of Representatives Gary Ackerman, Joseph Crowley, Carolyn Maloney, Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velázquez and Anthony Weiner all voted in favor of the legislation, which requires all individuals and families to have health insurance and creates a “public option,” a government-operated health insurance company to provide coverage for the uninsured.

During the debate on the bill and following the final vote, the legislators indicated that the ever-increasing cost of health care and insurance for businesses and families—as well as the lack of coverage for millions of Americans—factored heavily in their vote.

“In the past decade, the cost of health care for American families has skyrocketed,” Crowley said during debate on the measure. “Premiums have doubled, yet wages have remained stagnant. ... This is not just a failure of our health care system, it is morally unacceptable.”

“When 14,000 Americans are losing their health care coverage each day, it is clear that a public option is needed,” Maloney said in a statement. “It will bring down costs, increase access and improve care for all Americans. The richest country in the world should not have people who go without the basic necessity of health care.”

“With health insurance premiums in our city climbing at astonishing rates, this reform could not come soon enough,” Velázquez said, noting that the average monthly cost for family health insurance topped $4,350 in April of this year, making the premiums unaffordable for many.

“These problems have plagued our city and our nation for too long,” she added. “It is time, at long last, to enact comprehensive health care reform.”

“[T]onight’s work shows that Congress can take major steps to improve the lives of Americans,” Weiner said following Saturday’s passage of the bill. “Americans deserve quality, affordable health care, and tonight’s vote took them one step closer to it.”

In addition to creating a public option for health insurance, the Affordable Health Care for America Act includes provisions designed to help lower the cost of health care and coverage for businesses and citizens alike, while also eliminating loopholes used by some health management organizations to disqualify or terminate benefits for certain individuals.

Residents and families would be hit with a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance, according to a summary of the bill found through the Library of Congress’ THOMAS legislative database (thomas.loc.gov). Companies with payrolls exceeding $500,000 annually would also be required to provide health insurance for its workers or pay a surtax to the federal government.

Small businesses with payrolls of less than $500,000 annually would be exempt from this requirement, it was noted. The act does provide a tax credit for small businesses who do provide their workers with health insurance coverage.

Employers may continue to offer health insurance while requiring workers to share in the cost of coverage, it was noted. According to the legislation, annual cost-sharing expenses may not exceed $5,000 per individual and $10,000 per family.

For those individuals or families who cannot afford to pay for health coverage, the bill would also provide an “affordability premium credit” as well as a cost-sharing credit for those obtaining health care coverage through a state-based insurance exchange.

The legislation also includes changes to the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid designed to increase coverage to recipients. A coverage gap under Medicare Part D (which pays for prescription drugs) would be eliminated, and Medicare payments for physician services would also be increased. Eligibility requirements for low-income individuals and families for Medicaid would also be expanded.

It was noted in the legislation that no Medicaid or public health insurance plan payments would be provided for the care of undocumented aliens.

To promote individuals to seek preventative care and fitness, the act would also create a Prevention and Wellness Trust aimed at promoting such activities. The Health Choices Administration would also be established as an independent agency to advise citizens and employers about the various health insurance coverage plans available to them.

A number of grants are also included in the bill toward various health programs including schoolbased clinics, nurse-managed health centers, influenza vaccines for elementary school children and initiatives designed to discourage teen pregnancy and reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

In an effort to reduce costs for programs under the act, the legislation would create a 5.4 percent surtax on individuals whose adjusted gross income exceeds $500,000 ($1 million for married couples filing jointly) and a 2.5 percent tax on the purchase of medical devices. Provisions aimed at eliminating wasteful spending and combating fraud are also included.

Even so, Maloney pointed to a Congressional Budget Office report which estimated that, if it becomes law, the programs in the act would reduce the federal deficit by as much as $100 billion over the first 10 years. The CBO estimates that the bill would have a net cost of $891 billion over the same decade.

The full text of the Affordable Health Care for America Act can be found through the THOMAS search engine of the Library of Congress online at thomas.loc.gov.

Despite the House’s approval, the Senate is not expected to pass the bill as is. The body of 100 senators is currently considering their own version of health care reform legislation.