August 2009 Archives

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01) hosted four Teletown Hall Meetings today, calling thousands of residents of the First Congressional District to discuss healthcare reform.

"As the debate over healthcare reform continues on across the nation, I was pleased to have this opportunity to answer questions and hear comments from people of the First Congressional District on this important topic," Whitfield said. "Like many Kentuckians, I believe we need to enact comprehensive healthcare reform legislation which will increase access to quality healthcare and services while lowering costs for all Americans. However, I share the concerns of many Kentuckians over the proposals being discussed in Washington right now. As Congress moves forward considering healthcare reform legislation this fall, I look forward to continuing to engage with residents of the First District on this topic."

Whitfield hosted four Teletown Hall Meetings today, calling approximately 80,000 households in the 34 counties he represents. The Congressman discussed legislation currently being considered in Congress to overhaul the nation's healthcare system as well as his ideas to improve the care and treatment patients receive while lowering costs. Whitfield fielded questions and comments from more than 100 callers on a variety of healthcare topics from the impact this legislation would have on small businesses to how it would affect those receiving Social Security and Medicare. The Congressman has been traveling across the District this month, meeting with many constituents to discuss healthcare reform. Whitfield decided to hold this series of Teletown Hall Meetings to ensure that the voices and concerns of as many First District residents as possible could be heard.

During the Teletown Hall meetings, Whitfield conducted a poll regarding healthcare reform. The Congressman asked constituents if they supported President Barack Obama's plan to change the healthcare system in the United States or if they preferred that Congress develop another alternative with the goal of lowering costs. Results from the four Teletown Hall Meetings are as follows:

In Logan, Butler, Simpson, Allen, Monroe, Metcalfe, Cumberland, Adair, Russell, Clinton, Lincoln and Casey Counties, 9% of participants supported President Obama's plan to change the healthcare system in the United States; 78% of participants preferred that Congress develop another alternative with the goal of lowering costs. 13% were unsure.

In Henderson, Union, Webster, McLean and Ohio Counties, 9% of participants supported President Obama's plan to change the healthcare system in the United States; 77% of participants preferred that Congress develop another alternative with the goal of lowering costs. 14% were unsure.

In Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Todd, Christian, Trigg, Lyon, Caldwell, Crittenden and Livingston Counties, 10% of participants supported President Obama's plan to change the healthcare system in the United States; 78% of participants preferred that Congress develop another alternative with the goal of lowering costs. 12% were unsure.

In McCracken, Marshall, Calloway, Graves, Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton Counties, 9% of participants supported President Obama's plan to change the healthcare system in the United States; 78% of participants preferred that Congress develop another alternative with the goal of lowering costs. 13% were unsure.

WASHINGTON, DC - Aiming to engage with residents of the First Congressional District regarding proposals to overhaul the nation's healthcare system, U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01) unveiled 10 steps to create a healthier America today and announced plans to hold four Teletown Halls meetings this month to discuss healthcare issues with thousands of Kentuckians.

"Like many Kentuckians, I believe we need to enact comprehensive healthcare reform legislation which will increase access to quality healthcare and services while lowering costs for all Americans," Whitfield said. "While I don't support government run healthcare or imposing unaffordable costs on taxpayers, I do believe some reforms are needed. I want to hear from our citizens in this healthcare debate and ensure the voices of Kentuckians are heard. In the coming weeks I look forward to discussing the proposals I have laid out and other ideas to improve our nation's healthcare system."

The Congressman, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, crafted ten proposals he plans to advocate for in Congress to help ensure Kentuckians receive the care and treatment they need at a cost they can afford. Whitfield hopes to use his position on the Committee to incorporate many of these ideas into the healthcare bill crafted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Committee Chairman Henry Waxman.

Whitfield also announced he will be traveling the First Congressional District as well as holding four conference calls with constituents this month, allowing him to hear from literally thousands of households on the important subject of healthcare. Whitfield has hosted several Teletown Hall meetings in the past which allow residents in the District to ask the Congressman questions and listen in as he discusses important issues of the day. Based on previous participation rates, it is anticipated that approximately 30,000 people from the First District will participate in this series of Teletown Hall meetings.

Below are the "10 Steps to a Healthier America" Whitfield has proposed:

1. Make Insurance Affordable for All Americans: To ensure all Americans have access to quality healthcare, we need to provide refundable tax credits to individuals and families to purchase insurance. I propose providing individuals with a $5,000 refundable tax credit and families a $10,000 refundable tax credit to purchase insurance in the open market. There are a variety of ways to pay for this, including closing some existing tax loopholes.

2. Ensure No American Gets Left Behind: While programs like SCHIP and Medicaid provide assistance to many low-income individuals, there are still some who fall through the cracks. To prevent this, we need to establish a new premium assistance program to aid low-income individuals with their insurance costs. I propose requiring states to help pay for low-income individuals' healthcare premiums through their state SCHIP and Medicaid programs. Funding for this could come from tightening citizenship requirements for SCHIP and Medicaid by requiring a valid social security card and government issued ID to be shown before someone is enrolled in these programs.

3. Make it Easier and More Affordable for Small Businesses to Provide Insurance: As healthcare rates continue to climb, it has become increasingly difficult for small businesses to cover their employees. When the costs become too high, small business owners are forced to cut benefits altogether, leaving employees and their families to purchase more expensive individual insurance. We need to allow small businesses to band together and negotiate with insurers to get better deals for coverage, and allow churches, alumni associations and other organizations to sponsor groups. Additionally, we have to allow groups to purchase insurance across state lines, which will increase the size of the insurance pool and lower costs.

4. Empower Patients to Take Ownership of their Healthcare by Increasing Transparency: One of the biggest problems with health insurance today is that it is extremely confusing. Many times, consumers are unaware of how much different procedures will cost, how much their out of pocket expenses will be, what types of procedures are actually covered and so on. To remedy this, we need to create a new system to empower patients to take ownership over their healthcare plans. We need to establish an online health care registry which would require insurance companies and the government to disclose the prices they charge or reimburse for services. The database would be searchable so that individuals could go online and shop for the plan that best fits their needs.

5. Ensure Patient Access to Care and Control Costs by Reforming Our Malpractice Laws: One of the biggest challenges facing the First Congressional District is our ability to attract physicians. There are several reasons for this, but I would have to say the biggest one is the lack of medical liability reform in Kentucky - especially since all the bordering states have some type of medical liability reform. The increasing cost of liability insurance as a result of frivolous lawsuits spurs many doctors to pursue defensive medicine to guard against such lawsuits. While I agree patients should be compensated for any malpractice or medical neglect, we need to establish limits in order to prevent frivolous lawsuits.

6. Encourage Healthy Behavior and Promote Preventative Care: Our nation's healthcare costs continue to skyrocket, due in large part to many behaviors that can be prevented. Studies show that 70% of all health-care costs are the direct result of behavior. Furthermore, 74% of all costs are confined to four chronic conditions - cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. A large majority of these conditions are preventable. To promote and encourage healthy behavior, we need to alter federal regulations to encourage employers to allow healthy behavior incentives to their workers.

7. Reform COBRA: As our economy continues to struggle, more and more employees are faced with the task of having to purchase COBRA healthcare coverage in order to provide temporary coverage while they look for another job. The costs of these plans are extremely high and not economically feasible for someone who has just lost a job. We need to reform the COBRA market to ensure workers have more affordable healthcare plans to choose from. I propose allowing individuals to immediately transition into the individual market without having to exhaust COBRA benefits. This would also allow employers the flexibility to offer a less expensive catastrophic plan at the time of the employee's departure.

8. Encourage Individuals to Invest in Their Own Healthcare: One of the biggest things we can do to reduce the cost of healthcare is make individuals financially invested in their own well being. We need to encourage the use of health savings accounts and offer lower premiums and reduced cost sharing for those who practice healthy behaviors. Safeway, Inc. has taken this approach and, in turn, kept their per capita healthcare costs flat, while most American companies' costs have increased 38% during the same time period.

9. Ensure Access to Quality Medical Care in Rural Areas: Areas across the country are facing healthcare professional shortages, particularly rural areas. As students leave school with more and more debt, it becomes harder to attract them to rural areas to practice. This in turn makes it more difficult for residents to have access to proper health care. We need to provide incentives for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to practice in rural areas. I propose providing student loan forgiveness to students who practice in underserved areas by re-authorizing the National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs.

10. Ensure Physicians are Paid Fairly: Medicare continues to reimburse physicians at a level lower than the actual costs of procedures, causing some physicians to stop seeing Medicare patients. We need to ensure physicians are adequately reimbursed for their services in order to make certain they are still able to practice medicine. To address this reimbursement inequity once and for all we need to replace the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a more accurate reimbursement method, the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).

WASHINGTON - Continuing his efforts to protect the Commonwealth's tobacco farmers, U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01), joined by several members of the Kentucky Congressional Delegation, sent two letters to leaders of the Canadian government this week cautioning against a Canadian proposal, which could have a devastating impact on the crucial Kentucky industry.

Whitfield, along with Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-05), Congressman Ben Chandler (KY-06), Congressman Geoff Davis (KY-04) and Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), sent a letter to the Honorable Marjory LeBreton, leader of the Canadian Senate, and the Honorable James Cowen, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, asking the leaders to consider the impact of legislation currently being considered which would effectively ban the export of American grown burley tobacco to Canada and violate trade agreements between the U.S. and Canada. The bill being considered in Canada, C-32, was intended to address the growing concerns over flavored tobacco products attractive to minors, but would result in a ban on American air-cured burley tobacco.

"C-32 unfairly discriminates against U.S. tobacco growers and has the potential to destroy family-owned small businesses and jobs in Kentucky," Members of the Kentucky Congressional Delegation wrote. "The economic burden that could be caused by this ban could not come at a more difficult time as the American economy continues to be mired in recession. The stakes involved for American tobacco growers could not be higher."

In their letter, the Kentucky House leaders noted that if other nations were to follow Canada's lead in banning products made with burley tobacco, the market for American tobacco could become non-existent outside the U.S. Since 85 percent of burley tobacco grown in the U.S. is exported, this could put many growers out of business and devastate communities dependent on the industry.

Earlier this summer, Whitfield and several Members of the Kentucky Congressional Delegation also sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk asking for their assistance to work with the Canadian government to address concerns with this legislation. Mr. Kirk responded and said that they will be raising this issue with the Canadian Parliament when they come back in September. Whitfield and Members of the Kentucky Delegation will be providing additional supporting data in the coming weeks to support the case for changes to C-32.

Whitfield also sent a letter this week to Canadian International Trade Minister Stockwell Day. The Congressman sent Minister Day a letter in June warning that Bill C-32 would violate a number of trade agreements with the U.S., including NAFTA, and could have a negative impact on U.S.-Canadian relations. While the Congressman was pleased to receive a response from Minister Day in response to his letter of last month, he remains committed to putting pressure on the Canadian government to modify the language in the bill to ensure that Kentucky's farmers do not lose an essential market for burley tobacco.

In the letter to Minister Day, Whitfield notes that the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade is designed in part to ensure that technical regulations are no more trade restrictive than necessary to meet a legitimate objective. The Congressman states that the Canadian Government has pointed to no evidence to support a ban on blended tobacco and proposes to adopt a far more restrictive approach than necessary to deal with the problem of tobacco products flavored to appeal to youth. For these reasons, Whitfield continues to have serious questions about whether Bill C-32 complies with Canada's international trade obligations.

Attached is a copy of the letter sent by Whitfield to Minister Day as well as the letter sent from Members of the Kentucky Congressional Delegation.

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01) voted against sweeping healthcare reform legislation last week which could decrease the quality of care Kentuckians receive, hamstring small business owners in the midst of an economic recession and increase the already sky-high national debt.

"While I share the commitment of my fellow legislators to reforming our nation's healthcare system to ensure all Americans have access to the care they need at a price they can afford, the bill passed out of committee is simply not the way to do it," Whitfield said. "I am disappointed that the Energy and Commerce Committee failed to craft a bipartisan healthcare bill which would increase patient choice and lower costs without bankrupting future generations."

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which Whitfield serves, completed its consideration of H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, legislation which aims to overhaul the nation's healthcare system late Friday. While Whitfield opposed passage of the legislation, the bill was passed out of Committee and now awaits further consideration in the full House of Representatives this fall.

Whitfield has been an outspoken critic of the House healthcare proposal and has used his position on the Energy and Commerce Committee to advocate for changes to the legislation over the past several weeks. The Congressman has been particularly concerned with the enormous cost of the bill; the effect it will have on the quality of care hospitals and doctors are able to provide; and the impact it will have on small business owners during tough financial times.

The Congressman noted that in order to pay for this legislation, many services people in Kentucky rely on would be cut. Under the proposed plan, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans could be cut for nearly 13,000 seniors in the First Congressional District of Kentucky. Payments to hospitals in the District could be cut by $417 million or more, seriously impacting patient access to medical services. In addition, the new payroll taxes on small businesses mandated in the House bill will impact the employers of 65% of Kentucky's small business workers.

During the Committee markup held last week, the Congressman also expressed disappointment that moderate Democrats in the House, known as "Blue Dogs," failed to use their positions of power to negotiate a more bipartisan healthcare bill that could help ensure Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare without increasing the deficit.

"The American people were looking to the Blue Dogs to make some major changes to this bill and I am disappointed that the opportunity was missed to make this legislation something that the people could support," Whitfield said.

Whitfield offered two amendments during the markup session which were both adopted by the Committee. The amendments will help ensure patient access to vital cancer and pain management treatments.

The first amendment agreed to by the Committee would help ensure that cancer patients continue to have access to treatment, by assuring that their doctors across are adequately reimbursed through Medicare for their services. The provision would amend the Social Security Act to ensure that doctors receive sufficient payments for drugs under Part B of the Medicare Program by excluding prompt pay discounts extended to wholesalers from the manufacturer's average sales price. These discounts reduce Medicare Part B drug reimbursement rates for oncology practices, which in turn jeopardizes the viability of these providers. Whitfield noted that slow and reduced payments to medical providers can result in a cut, or altogether elimination, of critical services provided to patients.

"These cuts to Medicare reimbursements are having an adverse impact on physicians, related practitioners and their patients in communities across the country and throughout the Commonwealth," Whitfield said. "I am pleased that the Committee has adopted my amendment to ensure that cancer patients continue to have access to quality treatment and care."

The second amendment offered by Whitfield and adopted by the Energy and Commerce Committee would place a moratorium on reductions in Medicare reimbursements to Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC). For 2009, ASCs are facing severe cuts in reimbursements. It is projected that 10 of the top 11 procedures performed by interventional pain physicians in an ASC will face a permanent reduction this year, which in turn could hurt patient access to these treatments.