Health Care Priorities

As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I'm working to help Washingtonians get the coverage they deserve and ensure that their care is of the highest quality at the lowest cost. The cost of health care has doubled in the last decade and, without health care reform, prices will double again in the next 10 years. These skyrocketing costs are dragging down American businesses, forcing 47 million Americans to go without coverage, and leaving countless additional families with outrageous bills and eroding benefits. I am committed to driving down these costs, while improving health care quality and expanding coverage to all Americans. Achieving these three critical goals will not be easy, but we can do it if we build on what works in our current system to fix what’s broken.

Key Goals

Improving Competition through a Public Option
I believe a robust public option needs to be part of health care reform. Currently, there is little competition in the health insurance industry. In fact two insurance companies, and sometimes a single company, can dominate the marketplace in most communities. Allowing people to choose between a public option and a range of private insurance companies would improve competition, resulting in better coverage for a better price. I support a public option that is accountable to the people and available nationwide. If such an option is not included in draft legislation, I will work to add one to any health reform bill before the Finance Committee or on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Reforming Medicare Payments to Improve Quality
For years our state has been penalized by a Medicare payment system that rewards for the volume of care provided instead of the quality of care doctors provide their patients. Medicare providers in Washington State achieve exceptional health care quality at a lower cost than providers in many parts of the country. Unfortunately, this means our state's providers get paid almost 30 percent less than providers in high-cost states like New Jersey. Providers in these high-cost states are not producing better health outcomes for their patients; they are just pocketing more of our money. If every other state in the country were as efficient as Washington, the nation would save more than $50 billion a year.

On June 15, 2009, I introduced the Medical Efficiency and Delivery Improvement of Care (MEDIC) Act (S. 1262) to help address this problem. My bill would shift the Medicare payment system to one that better rewards providers who offer efficient, high-quality health care. This will help fix Washington state's low Medicare reimbursement rates, making it easier for seniors to find new Medicare providers, while also helping to incentivize better health care practices nationwide. Because one out of every five dollars spent on health care in America comes from Medicare, improvements to this program affect the entire health care industry, helping to drive a better health care system for everyone.

Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care
If patients don't have access to quality doctors, no health insurance plan is going to be enough. Experts estimate that by 2020 we will need 40 percent more practicing primary care physicians to meet patient demand.

On June 3, 2009, I introduced the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (S. 1174), which would help to ensure an adequate primary care workforce, especially in rural areas, and improve pay levels for primary care providers who offer integrated care coordination for their patients. Research has shown that patients get better health outcomes and have lower overall costs when they have a primary care provider that coordinates all their health care needs. This bill would help to offer more Americans the benefits of well-coordinated primary care.

Expanding Access to Home and Community Based Long-Term Care
Current law often prevents individuals and their families from accessing long-term care information and support until they have depleted their entire life savings and become poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. By then, it is generally too late to provide cost-effective home care. Seniors and people with disabilities end in nursing homes, when they could have been offered more personalized care in their own homes for almost 70 percent less money. Medicaid currently spends $100 billion each year on long-term care, a full 30 percent of the entire Medicaid budget. Improving access to home and community based care is a clear way to reduce costs while improving quality.

I introduced two bills on June 11, 2009 that would help to achieve this goal. One bill, called the Home and Community Balanced Incentives Act (S. 1256), incentivizes states to develop successful home and community based long-term care programs under Medicaid. The second bill, called Project 2020 (S. 1257), helps give people the support they need to stay healthy at home before they ever end up on Medicaid. Currently, the average person lasts just six months in long-term care before going on Medicaid.


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Maria's E-Newsletter To sign up for Maria's newsletter, enter your email address: Search The Site	Issues & Legislation Health Care Priorities As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I'm working to help Washingtonians get the coverage they deserve and ensure that their care is of the highest quality at the lowest cost. The cost of health care has doubled in the last decade and, without health care reform, prices will double again in the next 10 years. These skyrocketing costs are dragging down American businesses, forcing 47 million Americans to go without coverage, and leaving countless additional families with outrageous bills and eroding benefits. I am committed to driving down these costs, while improving health care quality and expanding coverage to all Americans. Achieving these three critical goals will not be easy, but we can do it if we build on what works in our current system to fix what’s broken. Key Goals Improving Competition through a Public Option I believe a robust public option needs to be part of health care reform. Currently, there is little competition in the health insurance industry. In fact two insurance companies, and sometimes a single company, can dominate the marketplace in most communities. Allowing people to choose between a public option and a range of private insurance companies would improve competition, resulting in better coverage for a better price. I support a public option that is accountable to the people and available nationwide. If such an option is not included in draft legislation, I will work to add one to any health reform bill before the Finance Committee or on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Reforming Medicare Payments to Improve Quality For years our state has been penalized by a Medicare payment system that rewards for the volume of care provided instead of the quality of care doctors provide their patients. Medicare providers in Washington State achieve exceptional health care quality at a lower cost than providers in many parts of the country. Unfortunately, this means our state's providers get paid almost 30 percent less than providers in high-cost states like New Jersey. Providers in these high-cost states are not producing better health outcomes for their patients; they are just pocketing more of our money. If every other state in the country were as efficient as Washington, the nation would save more than $50 billion a year. On June 15, 2009, I introduced the Medical Efficiency and Delivery Improvement of Care (MEDIC) Act (S. 1262) to help address this problem. My bill would shift the Medicare payment system to one that better rewards providers who offer efficient, high-quality health care. This will help fix Washington state's low Medicare reimbursement rates, making it easier for seniors to find new Medicare providers, while also helping to incentivize better health care practices nationwide. Because one out of every five dollars spent on health care in America comes from Medicare, improvements to this program affect the entire health care industry, helping to drive a better health care system for everyone. Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care If patients don't have access to quality doctors, no health insurance plan is going to be enough. Experts estimate that by 2020 we will need 40 percent more practicing primary care physicians to meet patient demand. On June 3, 2009, I introduced the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (S. 1174), which would help to ensure an adequate primary care workforce, especially in rural areas, and improve pay levels for primary care providers who offer integrated care coordination for their patients. Research has shown that patients get better health outcomes and have lower overall costs when they have a primary care provider that coordinates all their health care needs. This bill would help to offer more Americans the benefits of well-coordinated primary care. Expanding Access to Home and Community Based Long-Term Care Current law often prevents individuals and their families from accessing long-term care information and support until they have depleted their entire life savings and become poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. By then, it is generally too late to provide cost-effective home care. Seniors and people with disabilities end in nursing homes, when they could have been offered more personalized care in their own homes for almost 70 percent less money. Medicaid currently spends $100 billion each year on long-term care, a full 30 percent of the entire Medicaid budget. Improving access to home and community based care is a clear way to reduce costs while improving quality. I introduced two bills on June 11, 2009 that would help to achieve this goal. One bill, called the Home and Community Balanced Incentives Act (S. 1256), incentivizes states to develop successful home and community based long-term care programs under Medicaid. The second bill, called Project 2020 (S. 1257), helps give people the support they need to stay healthy at home before they ever end up on Medicaid. Currently, the average person lasts just six months in long-term care before going on Medicaid.
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