Myths and Truth in the National Debate on Health Care Reform
Myth: The government will run health care and this is socialism.
The easiest example to look at is Medicare. Medicare is a government plan. If you are on Medicare, you can go to your own doctor and the U.S. government pays the bill.
One of the biggest debates in national health care reform is the public health plan option. If you do not have health insurance or your plan has costs you cannot afford, you can join the government plan (public option). It will provide affordable health insurance and include subsidies for those who need them to make sure that everyone who needs health insurance can afford it. The plan will work like Medicare. If you are happy with the private health insurance you have, you will not have to change.
The government will establish an essential benefits package, or minimum coverage, for all plans, both public and private. It will also ensure that you cannot be excluded from health insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
Right now, in our country, we have private health insurance operating alongside government programs such as Medicare, Veteran’s health care, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. National health insurance reform will continue the public-private system we now have with a government or public option, initially focused on those who cannot get affordable insurance through private insurance companies.
Myth: I can’t keep or choose my doctor.
Under health insurance reform, you will be able to keep your doctor. Like now, if you belong to a specific insurance plan, you will be able to choose among the doctors who participate in that plan.
Myth: I won’t be able to get the health care I need because health care will be rationed.
With the private-public health insurance system, you will have a choice of more doctors. If you join the public health plan option, you will have your own doctor who will coordinate your care and make sure you can see a specialist if you need one. You will get preventive care and help in managing chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or asthma. Health reform promotes good quality care for everyone whether you have private insurance or government insurance.
Myth: The government will determine the care I get.
If you join the public option, you will make decisions about your own health care with your doctor. This is how Medicare works, a very successful government health plan. The government will not tell you what treatment you need or deny you medical care. And remember, you can keep your private health insurance and do not have to change.
Myth: Death panels and putting “grandma to death”
Senior citizens will have the OPTION to have a discussion with a medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will to specify their medical choices. It is not required nor forced on anyone. It ensures that our nation’s seniors have the end-of-life care they want.
Myth: The cost of national health insurance reform will bankrupt our country
The cost has been estimated as up to $1 trillion over ten years. President Obama and leaders of Congress have committed that the final plan must pay for itself and not increase the federal deficit.
The public option is key to making this work. The cost of administering Medicare is 3%. It is estimated that some private health insurance companies have administrative costs topping 30%. Other cost savings will come through better preventive care, better management of chronic diseases and electronic records.
Businesses support national health insurance reform because they can no longer afford the spiraling costs of health insurance that keep increasing their operating costs. They know that national health insurance reform will lower and stabilize these costs.
So, where are we now ….
A national health insurance reform bill has been approved in three committees in the U.S. House of Representatives (HR 3200) and one committee in the U.S. Senate. One committee in the U.S. Senate still has to act.
All three committees in the House of Representatives passed essentially the same bill. The bill approved by the Senate committee differs in some provisions from the House bill. One more committee in the Senate must approve a bill. If it is different from the one approved by the other Senate committee, the bills will be merged.
Final bills will be brought for full votes of all members of each chamber. If there are different bills approved in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, a joint conference committee will be designated to develop a single bill that will that will go back to each chamber for final passage. If the bill passes both the House and Senate, it will go to the President for his signature.
If you would like to learn more about the details of the House Bill and the Senate Committee Bill, we have summarized some of the key provisions in the attached document.