Costa: Modify health care bill and maybe I'll support it
Over the past three months, Congress has been working on legislation to overhaul our nation's health care system. Regardless of political party or where one may fall on the political spectrum, I believe we can all agree that the health care system is broken and needs repairs.
All Americans, even those with the best health insurance, can and do face untenable health costs as a result of an illness. Others lose their insurance as a result of a layoff or budget cut. Still more lose their insurance through rescission, a process insurance companies conduct to revoke coverage for covered patients if they become ill. These problems aren't unusual. They are happening every day to our neighbors and families.
Like it or not, taxpayers are paying for the health care of the uninsured and underinsured in some of the most expensive ways possible -- through emergency room care. Kern Medical Center provides approximately $40 million in uncompensated care each year. Uninsured people are forced to rely upon the emergency room for medical care, often waiting until their illness is advanced and much more costly to treat.
By law, the emergency room must treat all patients who need care, regardless of their ability to pay. This kind of care is damaging to the health of our citizens and to our nation's bottom line.
True health care reform must demonstrate cost savings for American families and the federal government. Insurance premiums in California rose at a rate more than twice that of inflation, eating up a greater percentage of household income. Nationwide, the average family spends over $12,000 in insurance premiums each year. Under the current system, this cost is expected to double to nearly $24,000 by 2020.
This trend has the potential to bankrupt middle class families in California. The same rate of cost growth will be disastrous for our federal budget as well. By some estimates, if the current system continues without reform, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will consume over 78 percent of our federal spending by 2040. The current system is unsustainable.
For reform to be successful, at a minimum, four key elements must be addressed. These are catastrophic care, portability, pre-existing conditions and preventive measures. Catastrophic care is the number one cause of bankruptcy for families, whether they have health insurance or not. No one can predict if and when a catastrophic health event will happen, but we need to ensure that families do not have to sell their homes to pay medical costs for a loved one.
Secondly, Central Valley residents should be able to take insurance with them even if they leave or lose their current job. The valley's workforce is changing. Many of us used to stay at one job for 20 or 30 years. Now, job change is frequent and often unexpected. Many have faced job loss as a result of the economic downturn. Losing your health insurance because of this is unacceptable.
Equally unacceptable is the denial of coverage because of a pre-existing condition; this must end. Preventive health care maintenance is imperative. We need incentives for healthy diets and exercise, focusing on healthy habits that will prevent chronic disease and addictions are essential.
When Congress returns next week, debate on HR 3200 will continue. An effective health care system deserves thoughtful discussion, and I am pleased that 47 of my Blue Dog colleagues joined me in July to slow down the process so we could have more time to review the bill, discuss it with our constituents and evaluate the implications of what is being proposed. Any health care bill that is passed must improve our valley's health care services in rural areas, help develop a medical school at UC Merced, and attract and retain highly qualified general practitioners and specialized physicians.
I hope the final proposal will address my concerns and that I will be able to vote for it. As of now, however, I can't support it until non-partisan Congressional budget analysts can identify significant savings nationally and greater benefits for people in my district. I also prefer a plan that is put into place in stages, rather than trying to implement such a massive effort all at once.
Democrat Jim Costa of Fresno represents the 20th Congressional District.
