Obama Letter Final 9 09
This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA
Overview
Download & View Obama Letter Final 9 09 as PDF for free.
More details
- Words: 1,386
- Pages: 5
MEMBERS
REPUBLICAN POLICY COMMITTEE HON. STANLEY E. SAYLOR CHAIRMAN
HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE HON. KATHARINE WATSON HON. BRYAN CUTLER
PA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
CO-CHAIRS
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
REP. MATTHEW BAKER
HON. SCOTT BOYD HON. JOHN EVANS HON. SETH GROVE HON. THOMAS KILLION HON. TINA PICKETT HON. DOUG REICHLEY HON. CURT SCHRODER HON. RANDY VULAKOVICH
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CHAIRMAN
REP. NICHOLAS A. MICOZZIE INSURANCE CHAIRMAN
September 25, 2009
Barack Obama The President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We listened with interest to your recent speech to the Congress concerning your views on federal health care reform. You stated, “If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.” You reiterated that invitation and your willingness to work in a bi-partisan manner seeking solutions, during your appearances on several news shows televised this past weekend. We are not members of Congress, but as state representatives in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we can tell you that we saw the need for health care reform back in 2007 and formed a Task Force to study this multi-faceted problem. We researched the subject with constituents and stakeholders statewide, before expanding our research nationwide. We even interviewed those who participate in health care plans in other countries to see what worked and what didn’t. Based on countless hours of research and interviews we then developed a legislative package of bills to lower the cost of health care for all Pennsylvanians and expand access to health care to those who are uninsured. We have been advocating these principles for the last two legislative sessions. We are writing to share our ideas with you based on your invitation “to listen”. We want to share our ideas in the hope that you will make Pennsylvania a demonstration project worthy of national attention and hopefully, duplication. We believe our solutions are in keeping with your selfdescribed guiding principle “that consumers do better when there is choice and competition.” Mr. President, our plan is based on free market competition which will lower health care costs. Our plan is not implemented by raising taxes and causing additional stress to middle class families already struggling. We have created a model suitable for our current economy, so that even if a person loses his/her job, he/she will be assured access to health care.
HOUSE BOX 202094 | HARRISBURG, PA 17120 | (717) 783-6426 |
WWW.PAGOPPOLICY.COM
President Obama Page 2 September 25, 2009 Please allow us to briefly highlight the scope of our plan: PA BasicCare - (Killion) Amendment A01387 to House Bill 1 � Provides an affordable, low-cost insurance product. adultBasic Retool - (Mustio) Amendment 01393 to House Bill 1 � Allows more Pennsylvanians access to the adultBasic program by establishing a sliding scale premium based on income and requires the department to verify eligibility every six months and utilize rolling enrollment procedures. Health Information Technology - (Cutler) Amendment 01397 to House Bill 1 � Uses the one-time federal stimulus funds as a source of funding grants to bring technology online for the prevention of medical errors and greater efficiency. E-Prescribing - (Baker) Amendment A01398 to House Bill 1 � Requires health care facilities throughout the Commonwealth to utilize an electronic prescribing system. Health Care through Clinics - (Watson) Amendment A01379 to House Bill 1 � Invests $25 million for the expansion of Federally Qualified Health Centers, hospital based clinics, free clinics, etc. to increase access to primary and prenatal care. Also provides a medical and dental home and helps to lower the cost of care. Dental Provider Incentive – (Saylor) Amendment 01399 to House Bill 1 � Provides a supplemental salary to recent dental graduates who dedicate a percentage of their practice to treating Medical Assistance (MA) patients. Helps to bring dentists into communities with a need. Cost Transparency - (Stern) � Re-enacts the PA Health Care Cost Containment Council and requires the council to publish the medical charges and reimbursement rates for Medicaid, CHIP and adultBasic, which helps to allow consumers to make informed decisions regarding their health care. Also helps to keep the market competitive and reign in the cost of care. Employer Tax Credit - (Boyd) Amendment A01404 to House Bill 1 � Provides a $1,000 per employee tax credit for small business owners (less than 50 employees) who provide health insurance to their employees. A one-year clawback would require employers to pay back the amount received if they drop insurance coverage. This encourages employers to provide health care for their employees and prevent crowd-out, whereby employers stop providing health insurance.
President Obama Page 3 September 25, 2009
Individual Tax Credit - (Vulakovich) Amendment A01405 to House Bill 1 � Provides a $1,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase health insurance if their employer does not provide such coverage. Chronic Disease Control Tax Credit - (Reichley) Amendment A01403 to House Bill 1 � Provides a $500 per employee tax credit for small business owners (less than 50 employees) who purchase and provide a disease management program. Allied Health Professional Loan Forgiveness - (Baker) Amendment 01406 to House Bill 1 � Provides student loan repayment to qualified recent allied health professional graduates who practice full time in designated shortage areas. Peer Review - (Cutler) � Extends protections from suit to persons who hand over information relating to the conduct of medical professionals who are reviewed by health facility credentialing committees. Individuals who provide information or services are provided whistleblower protections. Benevolent Gesture - (Gillespie) Amendment A01391 to House Bill 1 � Establishes an admission made by a health care provider to a patient, or their representative, regarding the patient’s discomfort, pain, suffering, injury or death resulting from a medical treatment shall be inadmissible as evidence of liability if made before commencement of any legal action. Securitization of MCARE Unfunded Liabilities - (Schroder) Amendment A01374 to House Bill 1 � Secures the entire balance of the Health Care Provider Retention Account for use of paying off MCARE liabilities. In your speech, you also stated that you propose moving forward on medical malpractice reform. Pennsylvania’s 12 million citizens represent a wide demographic that we believe makes the Commonwealth an excellent state for a demonstration project. Our bi-partisan Senate and House have passed tort reform legislation twice, only to have it vetoed by Governor Rendell. We ask that your Secretary of Health and Human Services strongly consider Pennsylvania for one or more of these initiatives.
President Obama Page 4 September 25, 2009 We are very passionate about real health care reform and we know that all Americans have a stake in this issue. The group of legislators that has worked on this legislative package are from all across the Commonwealth and represent distinctly different regions. Yet we believe that the components of this proposal will benefit every resident. We are more than willing to work with your Administration on health care reform for our Commonwealth and our great nation. We recognize that you may not approve of every suggestion offered, but we are also open to suggestions that may help us find an agreement in principle while we work out the details of the legislation. We look forward to hearing from you on our solutions to America’s growing health care crisis, and would be honored to meet with you to discuss the healthcare crisis and possible solutions. Together we can, and must, make progress on one of the greatest issues of our time. We believe that by working together we can use Pennsylvania as a demonstration project to show that health care reform can rise above politics and be based only on what is best for those we live with, work with, and serve. Very truly yours,
Rep. Stan Saylor, (R-York, Policy Chairman)
Rep. Katharine Watson, (R-Bucks, Co-Chair)
Rep. Bryan Cutler, (R-Lancaster, Co-Chair)
Rep. Matthew Baker, (R-Tioga, Health & Human Services Chairman)
Rep. Nicholas A. Micozzie (R-Delaware, Insurance Chairman)
Rep. Scott Boyd, (R-Lancaster)
Rep. John Evans, (R-Erie)
Rep. Seth Grove, (R-York)
Rep. Tom Killion (R-Delaware)
Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford, Sullivan)
President Obama Page 5 September 25, 2009
Rep. Doug Reichley (R-Lehigh) cc:
The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius Mr. Rahm Emanuel Mr. David Axelrod Senator Arlen Specter Senator Robert Casey PA Congressional Delegation
Rep. Randy Vulakovich (R-Allegheny)
REPUBLICAN POLICY COMMITTEE HON. STANLEY E. SAYLOR CHAIRMAN
HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE HON. KATHARINE WATSON HON. BRYAN CUTLER
PA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
CO-CHAIRS
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
REP. MATTHEW BAKER
HON. SCOTT BOYD HON. JOHN EVANS HON. SETH GROVE HON. THOMAS KILLION HON. TINA PICKETT HON. DOUG REICHLEY HON. CURT SCHRODER HON. RANDY VULAKOVICH
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CHAIRMAN
REP. NICHOLAS A. MICOZZIE INSURANCE CHAIRMAN
September 25, 2009
Barack Obama The President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We listened with interest to your recent speech to the Congress concerning your views on federal health care reform. You stated, “If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.” You reiterated that invitation and your willingness to work in a bi-partisan manner seeking solutions, during your appearances on several news shows televised this past weekend. We are not members of Congress, but as state representatives in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we can tell you that we saw the need for health care reform back in 2007 and formed a Task Force to study this multi-faceted problem. We researched the subject with constituents and stakeholders statewide, before expanding our research nationwide. We even interviewed those who participate in health care plans in other countries to see what worked and what didn’t. Based on countless hours of research and interviews we then developed a legislative package of bills to lower the cost of health care for all Pennsylvanians and expand access to health care to those who are uninsured. We have been advocating these principles for the last two legislative sessions. We are writing to share our ideas with you based on your invitation “to listen”. We want to share our ideas in the hope that you will make Pennsylvania a demonstration project worthy of national attention and hopefully, duplication. We believe our solutions are in keeping with your selfdescribed guiding principle “that consumers do better when there is choice and competition.” Mr. President, our plan is based on free market competition which will lower health care costs. Our plan is not implemented by raising taxes and causing additional stress to middle class families already struggling. We have created a model suitable for our current economy, so that even if a person loses his/her job, he/she will be assured access to health care.
HOUSE BOX 202094 | HARRISBURG, PA 17120 | (717) 783-6426 |
WWW.PAGOPPOLICY.COM
President Obama Page 2 September 25, 2009 Please allow us to briefly highlight the scope of our plan: PA BasicCare - (Killion) Amendment A01387 to House Bill 1 � Provides an affordable, low-cost insurance product. adultBasic Retool - (Mustio) Amendment 01393 to House Bill 1 � Allows more Pennsylvanians access to the adultBasic program by establishing a sliding scale premium based on income and requires the department to verify eligibility every six months and utilize rolling enrollment procedures. Health Information Technology - (Cutler) Amendment 01397 to House Bill 1 � Uses the one-time federal stimulus funds as a source of funding grants to bring technology online for the prevention of medical errors and greater efficiency. E-Prescribing - (Baker) Amendment A01398 to House Bill 1 � Requires health care facilities throughout the Commonwealth to utilize an electronic prescribing system. Health Care through Clinics - (Watson) Amendment A01379 to House Bill 1 � Invests $25 million for the expansion of Federally Qualified Health Centers, hospital based clinics, free clinics, etc. to increase access to primary and prenatal care. Also provides a medical and dental home and helps to lower the cost of care. Dental Provider Incentive – (Saylor) Amendment 01399 to House Bill 1 � Provides a supplemental salary to recent dental graduates who dedicate a percentage of their practice to treating Medical Assistance (MA) patients. Helps to bring dentists into communities with a need. Cost Transparency - (Stern) � Re-enacts the PA Health Care Cost Containment Council and requires the council to publish the medical charges and reimbursement rates for Medicaid, CHIP and adultBasic, which helps to allow consumers to make informed decisions regarding their health care. Also helps to keep the market competitive and reign in the cost of care. Employer Tax Credit - (Boyd) Amendment A01404 to House Bill 1 � Provides a $1,000 per employee tax credit for small business owners (less than 50 employees) who provide health insurance to their employees. A one-year clawback would require employers to pay back the amount received if they drop insurance coverage. This encourages employers to provide health care for their employees and prevent crowd-out, whereby employers stop providing health insurance.
President Obama Page 3 September 25, 2009
Individual Tax Credit - (Vulakovich) Amendment A01405 to House Bill 1 � Provides a $1,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase health insurance if their employer does not provide such coverage. Chronic Disease Control Tax Credit - (Reichley) Amendment A01403 to House Bill 1 � Provides a $500 per employee tax credit for small business owners (less than 50 employees) who purchase and provide a disease management program. Allied Health Professional Loan Forgiveness - (Baker) Amendment 01406 to House Bill 1 � Provides student loan repayment to qualified recent allied health professional graduates who practice full time in designated shortage areas. Peer Review - (Cutler) � Extends protections from suit to persons who hand over information relating to the conduct of medical professionals who are reviewed by health facility credentialing committees. Individuals who provide information or services are provided whistleblower protections. Benevolent Gesture - (Gillespie) Amendment A01391 to House Bill 1 � Establishes an admission made by a health care provider to a patient, or their representative, regarding the patient’s discomfort, pain, suffering, injury or death resulting from a medical treatment shall be inadmissible as evidence of liability if made before commencement of any legal action. Securitization of MCARE Unfunded Liabilities - (Schroder) Amendment A01374 to House Bill 1 � Secures the entire balance of the Health Care Provider Retention Account for use of paying off MCARE liabilities. In your speech, you also stated that you propose moving forward on medical malpractice reform. Pennsylvania’s 12 million citizens represent a wide demographic that we believe makes the Commonwealth an excellent state for a demonstration project. Our bi-partisan Senate and House have passed tort reform legislation twice, only to have it vetoed by Governor Rendell. We ask that your Secretary of Health and Human Services strongly consider Pennsylvania for one or more of these initiatives.
President Obama Page 4 September 25, 2009 We are very passionate about real health care reform and we know that all Americans have a stake in this issue. The group of legislators that has worked on this legislative package are from all across the Commonwealth and represent distinctly different regions. Yet we believe that the components of this proposal will benefit every resident. We are more than willing to work with your Administration on health care reform for our Commonwealth and our great nation. We recognize that you may not approve of every suggestion offered, but we are also open to suggestions that may help us find an agreement in principle while we work out the details of the legislation. We look forward to hearing from you on our solutions to America’s growing health care crisis, and would be honored to meet with you to discuss the healthcare crisis and possible solutions. Together we can, and must, make progress on one of the greatest issues of our time. We believe that by working together we can use Pennsylvania as a demonstration project to show that health care reform can rise above politics and be based only on what is best for those we live with, work with, and serve. Very truly yours,
Rep. Stan Saylor, (R-York, Policy Chairman)
Rep. Katharine Watson, (R-Bucks, Co-Chair)
Rep. Bryan Cutler, (R-Lancaster, Co-Chair)
Rep. Matthew Baker, (R-Tioga, Health & Human Services Chairman)
Rep. Nicholas A. Micozzie (R-Delaware, Insurance Chairman)
Rep. Scott Boyd, (R-Lancaster)
Rep. John Evans, (R-Erie)
Rep. Seth Grove, (R-York)
Rep. Tom Killion (R-Delaware)
Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford, Sullivan)
President Obama Page 5 September 25, 2009
Rep. Doug Reichley (R-Lehigh) cc:
The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius Mr. Rahm Emanuel Mr. David Axelrod Senator Arlen Specter Senator Robert Casey PA Congressional Delegation
Rep. Randy Vulakovich (R-Allegheny)
Related Documents
Obama Letter Final 9 09
June 2020 5
Congregational Letter 9 09
June 2020 6
Stan Frye Letter 9-09
June 2020 6
02-10-09 Census Letter To Obama
December 2019 13