Media Op-Ed Pieces Senate Healthcare bill| Senate Healthcare bill |
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VIEWPOINTS: Senate bill would help make quality care affordable The U.S. Senate has started debate on its version of health care reform. Similar to the bill passed a few weeks ago by the House, the Senate bill would provide unprecedented improvements to Alabama's health care system and help make quality and affordable health care available for all Alabamians. Because of the legislation's impact on the health and well-being of this state, Alabama's congressional delegation and governor should support it. According to state-specific reports released by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce assessing the combined House bill, health care reform would provide much-needed benefits for individual Alabamians. The Senate bill, containing similar provisions, would provide benefits comparable to the House proposal. If Congress enacts these measures, the Congressional Budget Office estimates more than 400,000 uninsured Alabamians will have access to coverage. Many of these will be low-income families with coverage thanks to an expansion of Medicaid, and for the first time in Alabama, that program will cover low-income childless adults. Additionally, 1.2 million Alabama households, largely middle class, will qualify for affordability credits to help them purchase health coverage. Because of these coverage improvements, the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers in Alabama is predicted to fall by an astonishing $1.2 billion. Currently, more than 80,000 Alabamians have pre-existing medical conditions that could prevent them from buying health insurance. Under the legislation, insurance companies could no longer refuse to cover people with pre-existing conditions, so these people would be able to purchase affordable coverage. Also, in Alabama in 2008, there were 14,000 health care-related bankruptcies. Because this legislation caps yearly out-of-pocket costs and eliminates lifetime limits on benefits, families would be less likely to face financial ruin because of a medical condition or accident. Alabama's small businesses also stand to benefit greatly. Small businesses face many of the same challenges as individuals in trying to find affordable coverage. Under the proposed reforms, the 100,000 small businesses in this state with up to 100 employees could choose to purchase coverage through a health insurance exchange, benefiting from group rates and a greater choice of insurers. Additionally, about 89,000 small businesses in Alabama with up to 25 employees and average salaries under $40,000 would qualify for tax credits offsetting up to 50 percent of the cost of providing health insurance. States eventually would incur some increased costs related to the expansion of Medicaid. Gov. Bob Riley recently noted as much in stating his opposition to the bills under consideration in Congress. However, the health benefits of Medicaid coverage for uninsured, low-income Alabamians and the related reductions in uncompensated care for providers would be significant. While we must always be mindful of associated costs, those considerations should not prevent our support of this most beneficial legislation. Unfortunately, most social and human services in Alabama are grossly underfunded. Instead of opposing legislation that will benefit so many Alabamians, we should plan for ways to meet the financial needs of such critical programs. Given the significant benefits the pending federal legislation holds for Alabama, all of us should call on our congressmen and Riley to support these reforms. It is a chance to dramatically improve the health and well-being of many Alabamians -- a chance we should not let pass us by. Vaughan Branch is health care fellow with the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |