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| Wilson: House Works for Affordable Health Coverage and Better Care |
July 27, 2005 |
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| Legislation Would Reduce Number of Uninsured
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today welcomed a string of House actions aimed at more affordable health coverage for Americans.
“New Mexicans should have access to affordable, high quality health care,” Wilson said. “Health insurance is expensive, and we need to reduce the number of uninsured. Together, these bills will help make health insurance more affordable, reduce medical errors, and make much-needed reforms to the medical liability system.”
“We’re trying to make it easier for the small businesses that drive our economy and create the majority of our new jobs to provide health insurance by pooling their purchasing power,” Wilson said.
The U.S. House of Representatives this week is considering five bills that work together to improve health care and help more Americans have access to affordable coverage. Under the changes, small businesses would be more likely to provide health insurance benefits because they could pool their purchasing power. Estimates have shown that up to eight million uninsured Americans could gain coverage if the law would allow Association Health Plans. The House also will consider reauthorizing a grant program for states that create health insurance pools for people considered high-risk.
The House is addressing increasing health costs by capping non-economic damages (such as pain and suffering) at $250,000 and punitive medical malpractice damages at the greater of twice the economic damages or $250,000.
Another important step would create a national database of medical errors and a standard for reporting errors in an effort to reduce mistakes. The information would be analyzed to prevent recurring mistakes, but be protected from use in malpractice cases. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine found between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die annually from medical errors.
Healthcare Bills Before the House This Week:
H.R. 3204, High Risk Pool Funding Extension Act of 2005 extends Federal funding for the establishment and operation of State high risk health insurance policies so that people with chronic medical conditions can afford health insurance.
H.R. 525, The Small Business Health Fairness Act allows small businesses to pool together to form of Association Health Plans (AHPs). These plans would give small business owners and their employees the opportunity to purchase health care benefits at rates comparable to those employees who work for larger companies. The Bill is endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business.
H.R. 5, Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act improves patient access to health care services by reducing the excessive burden the liability system places on the health care system.
S. 45, Controlled Substances Export Reform Act of 2005 amends the Controlled Substances Act to lift the patient limitation on prescribing drug addiction treatments by medical practitioners in group practices.
S. 544, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 provides a network of patient safety organizations that will analyze data so that patient safety is improved and the incidence of events that adversely effect patient safety are reduced.
H.Res. 289 – Supports the goals and ideals of National Health Center Week in order to raise awareness of health services provided by community, migrant, public housing, and homeless health centers.
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