Healthcare

"With the signing of this historic reform bill, we have finally made quality, affordable health care a reality for tens of millions of Americans." –Senator Roland W. Burris

Senator Burris believes that passage of the historic, “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” will put our country on the path to universal coverage.  Insurance company competition, transparency, and accountability will become a reality, and 32 million uninsured Americans will gain access to quality, affordable insurance.  

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Access to Affordable Insurance

Senator Burris, throughout the past year, has served as a strong voice for insurance company transparency, accountability, and competition.  Over the past nine years, insurance premiums have more than doubled, increasing at a rate four times faster than wages. Over 400 insurance company mergers in the past decade have led to markets dominated by a small number of insurers. In Illinois, two companies dominate 69% of the insurance market. As competition shrinks, profits skyrocket. 10 of the country’s largest insurers, between 2000 and 2007, increased their profits by an average of 428%.  Meanwhile, 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every single day.  Thankfully, Illinoisans will finally see a reversal of these trends, due to passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this new law will mean higher value and greater stability in health insurance.  Many abusive practices of private health insurers will soon come to an end.  Starting in 2014, insurers will no longer cap benefits or rescind your policy when you need it most.  Insurers must also justify every rate increase, putting a stop to unreasonable and unexplained jumps, such as the 40 to 60% hikes imposed by some insurers this year.  Additionally, $.80 to $.85 out of every premium dollar must go to cover medical costs, ensuring that consumers get more for their premiums. 

Those who make less than 400% of the poverty line will receive premium credits and cost sharing assistance to ensure that health care remains affordable.

Senator Burris continues to believe that a public option would significantly increase competition hold private insurers accountable through market forces.  However, increased regulation, coupled with competition from national insurance plans, will stop insurance company abuses and slow the growth rate of premiums.  Plus, tax credits will increase affordability and access for millions. That is why Senator Burris proudly voted for this landmark legislation.  The Senator will continue to press for standalone legislation to enact a public health insurance option.

 "For nearly a century, Americans have been calling for a health care insurance system that provides them with the meaningful health care reform they rightly deserve.  I am proud to say that this legislation will ensure lower costs, greater competition, and more accountability to the system, ending the nefarious insurance company practices of coverage denials and lifetime caps.  President Obama and the Democratic Congress achieved historic reform for our health care system, and I was proud to work with my colleagues in the Senate on behalf of Illinoisans to solve this long-ignored problem."- Senator Burris 

Provider Quality

Not only will the new law hold insurers to common sense standards of consumer accountability, it will also increase the quality of care that patients receive, while reducing the cost of providing it.  A number of provisions will move our health system towards paying providers for quality, not quantity, when it comes to health care.  For example, formation of “Accountable Care Models,” similar in principle to the Mayo Clinic, will mean greater communication among doctors, fewer duplicative tests, and payments based on the health of the patient, not the amount of care received. 

Study after study shows that basic primary and preventative care, keeping people out of hospital and specialty care settings, reduces costs.  Therefore, payments to primary care providers will increase, encouraging more doctors to choose general practice. 

Expansion of loan repayment programs will increase the supply of medical professionals in underserved areas, and administrative simplification will allow doctors to spend more time with their patients.

Senator Burris proudly worked with fellow Freshmen Senators in crafting a bipartisan package of amendments, which will accelerate the implementation of these quality improvements.