Today Congressman Kurt Schrader voted to support healthcare legislation in the United States House of Representatives.

“This evening I voted in favor of the healthcare bill before the U.S. House of Representatives because our nation and Oregon families cannot afford the status quo.

One of my chief concerns with healthcare reform has been its ability to lower costs for Oregon families, small businesses and our nation as a whole. While I believe there is more we can do, this bill makes real progress in bending the cost curve. It includes lower and more appropriate subsidies than earlier proposals. It rewards healthy lifestyles and encourages better healthy outcomes by including my comparative effectiveness research component.

We have also reached an agreement with Congressional leaders and the Administration to improve Medicare reimbursement rates for high quality care states like Oregon. It is time for America to move away from the old healthcare culture of just paying for quantity of care and instead focusing on quality of care. By focusing on quality of care we can attack the problem of overutilization that is the major driver of healthcare costs.

At its core this bill will prohibit exclusions based on preexisting conditions and ensure Oregon families will no longer be one illness or job loss away from bankruptcy. It also protects Oregon seniors by fixing the donut hole sooner and allows more negotiation to lower drug prices to ensure seniors get the most for their money. The bill also provides help for small businesses that are currently struggling under the weight of increasing healthcare costs while exempting those businesses with 50 or less employees from the noncompliance penalties and fees intended for midsized and large firms not providing adequate insurance for their employees.

This is not a perfect bill and we will have more work to do to moving forward. But at the end of the day I believe this bill makes things better for Oregon families and lays the foundation to continue working on reducing healthcare costs and increasing healthcare quality. Clearly, the key question here is are we better off with this bill? The answer is yes.”

Provisions that will take affect IMMEDIATELY

- 18,500 5th district small businesses will be offered tax credits to cover 35% of premiums immediately and 50% by 2014.

-  Medicare beneficiaries who hit the Medicare donut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 rebate. Beginning in  2011 there will be a 50% discount on brand-name drugs in the donut hole. The entire donut hole will be  completely closed by 2020.

- 6 months after enactment of the legislation, companies will no longer be allowed to drop people from coverage when they get sick.

- 6 months after enactment of the legislation insurance companies will no longer be to deny care to children because of preexisting conditions. In 2014, that prohibition applies to all persons.

- 90 days after enactment a temporary re-insurance program (until exchange is established) is created to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that offer benefits for retirees age 55-64.

- Effective January 1st, 2011 the legislation eliminates co-payments for preventative services and exempts preventative services from deductibles under the Medicare program.

- Effective 6 months after enactment, insurance companies will no longer be able to place lifetime caps on coverage.

- Effective January 1st, 2011 insurance companies will be required to spend most of your premiums on medical services and health coverage instead of administrative costs. If insurers do not meet these thresholds they  will be required to provide rebates to policyholders.

- Effective 6 months after enactment young people will be able to remain on their parents insurance until age 26.