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1:27

Glad you could make it to my Virtual Town Hall on Health Care Reform!

Before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee takes action on our bill this week, I want to hear your ideas.

Let’s get started.

What does affordable, quality health care look like to you? What about your experience with your current health care? What’s working? What’s not? How can we do better?

1:28

[Comment From Kevin Zeese]
Thank you for holding this town hall. It looks like the senate is not confronting the root cause problem in health care – cost and coverage. The root of both problems is the health insurance industry. They create a great deal of unecessary cost. The bureaucracy they make everyone – hospitals, doctors, businesses and individuals – participate in reportedly adds up to 31% of the cost of health care. Sen. Harkin told me at the Senate hearing last week: “I used to sell health care and the rule is the bigger the pool the more cost efficient the system. We have a divided system with 1,300 health care plans, 700 would be better, but one would be best – that’s why single payer makes the most sense.” Do you agree with this common sense analysis? I see that the CEO of Aetna, who already gets paid tens of millions annually, will get 4.5% more if he increases their profits by 15% by 2010. Isn’t that the problem? Profits before the needs of people. Now the president is talking about taking money from the poor and elderly (Medicaid and Medicare). Why doesn’t the Congress stand up to the real culprits, the insurance industry – an industry we do not even need!? Isn’t single payer health care – which removes the insurance industry with all of its waste, fraud, abuse, and bureaucracy – the only way to ensure coverage from all and control costs? Won’t this multi-payer health care reform being discussed just throw hundreds of billions annually of tax payer dollars into a flawed s

1:31

well Kevin you got right to the heart of it. Bloated profits by insurance companies who act like rigid gatekeepers denying people with preexisting consditions, all the while pounding their chests saying we don't need a public alternative becuase it will lead to rationing, when that's what they do every day. Again, by their rigid rules like denying insurance with people with pre-esisting conditions. I respect people who advocate a single payer system. We, on the HELP Committee, have had people representing that viiew at the roundtable so they could be heard. But alas, in the Congress, there is neither the will or the votes to pass it. That's why I'm supporting President Obama's appriach to have a public option with significant administrative simplification to take on the challenges you so rightly articulated.

1:31	[Comment From Bill fr Hagerstown] I already have health care insurance. How will my cost and/or coverage change?

1:33	I believe in freedom of choice. So does President Obama. Therefore, if you like what you have, you can keep it - and nothing will change. The Deomcratic approach plan will protect peopl's choice of health plans, doctors, other health practitioners and hospitals.

1:33	[Comment From Rich from MC] Why is improving health care quality so important in this reform?

1:41

Hey Rich- I'm so glad you asked this question. I Chair the working group on quality in the HELP committee. Senator Kennedy established 3 working groups to really delve into what needed to be done: Coverage, Prevention, Quality (that's me). We;ve added a fourht: workforce to make sure we have the workers we need. On quality: we want to change our current sickcare system to a healthcare system. I believe that we can save lives and improve lives and save money by beginning to reward both a payment system and a new paradigm around prevention, wellness and quality. So let me give you a few examples: two of our really big bucket costs to the system are the failure to manage chronic illness in a way that prevents deterioration for the person with it and escalating costs. The other is hospital readmission within 30 days. So here's what I'm doing: 1- I want everybody to be able to have a medical home and provide integrated, coordinated, holistic, patient-centered, evidenced based care with strong care coordination, real help with pharmaceutical compliance challenges, and access to a community health team that includes help with nutrition, and those things that help with behaviour change. This could impact on as much as $1 trillion. And on hospital readmission within 30 days which costs billions, we want to address by insisting a mandatory discharge plan. A real plan that ensures you're discharged to a safe, reliable place where you know what your follow-up plan is with physicians and therapists and a clear and explicit plan for what drugs you take when, and a method for you being able to pay for it. I hope you like this, I'm being fought by the forces of the dark side.

1:43	[Comment From Guest] How is Health Care reform going to address the issues of mental health care

1:45

Earlier this year, we passed the Mental Health Parity Act which requires insurance companies to cover mental health and behavioral services in the same way they do all other types of health care. In health care reform, in any new inusrance program we create, we are ensuring these same standards will apply. I also want to be aware that anyone with a mental health or behavioural challenge should have access to a variety of providers appropriate to their situation. It could be intensive help for a bipolar condition, or something that is temporary and situational, like grief counseling.

1:46	[Comment From Pat Harvey] How do young people who may be in college or graduate school and no longer on their parents' health plan afford psychiatric meds that help them remain stable and in school so that they can lead productive lives?

1:49

Pat- I think I answered the mental health coverage part in what I answered earlier. But as to being a young person, who may be in college or graduate school, in regards to physical or mental health, we know there needs to be a bridge for health care coverage. The Deomcratic members on the HELP committee are advocating allowing all dependents to be covered until the age of 26 on their parents insurance plan. And then we are creating a new health insurance specifically for young adults that provides coverage that is low-cost with a basic coverage package, which would also include mental health coverage.

1:52	There are a lot of questions coming in about cost

1:53	High cost to families who either can't afford health insurance or co-pays. I'd really like to hear more about this from you. I'm deeply concerned about the amount of under-insured Folks who have a spartan benefit and other big co-pays and deductibles. Could I hear from you, please?

1:54	[Comment From Barry (Hyattsville)] How do you feel about taxing health care benefits?