Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) released the highly anticipated Senate Finance Committee bill on Wednesday, which has reignited the healthcare reform debate. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the plan would cost $856 billion over 10 years. This amount would be paid for mostly through "increased focus on quality, efficiency, prevention, and adjustments in federal health program payments, without adding to the federal deficit," according to Baucus in a statement.
What do health leaders think of the bill? Here are comments from five leaders:
Chris Van Gorder, FACHE
President/CEO
Scripps Health
"From my perspective and the perspective of most healthcare providers, the current system is broken. Without a doubt, it is too fragmented, costly, and there are too many of our citizens who are uninsured.
"I and my organization clearly support the concept of universal coverage. Senator Baucus' bill clearly moves us in that direction and it does so with individual mandates and without a government controlled option—which gives us great concern.
"Senator Baucus builds on the current system and starts to correct some components of the system, which are clearly broken but does so in a reasonable manner. As always, the details will be important and we are still analyzing the bill—but from our initial read, this bill moves us in the right direction and in a reasonable manner."
A. Mark Fendrick, MD
Co-director
University of Michigan's Center for Value-Based Insurance Design
"In addition to providing affordable coverage to 29 million uninsured Americans, several provisions in the Senate Finance Bill aim to produce meaningful improvements in both the quality of care provided and efficiency of the healthcare system.
"Investments in prevention and wellness programs, health information technology, patient-centered care systems, and research into what medical services work, will hopefully shift the dialogue from how much we spend on healthcare, to how much health we receive for the money spent."
Bob Coli, MD
Physician
Founder, chairman, and CEO
Diagnostic Information System Company
"Unfortunately, it is another classic ‘government control solution,' which is exactly the opposite of the consumer-centered, value-driven ‘private market solution' that is needed. Some of the most convincing proof of this opinion are the sections on healthcare cooperatives, prescription drug coverage, and the proposed revenue provisions."
J. James Rohack, MD
President
American Medical Association
"The AMA applauds Chairman Baucus and his colleagues for their hard work and important contribution toward our mutual objective of comprehensive health system reform. Expanding coverage through tax credits, insurance market reforms that protect patients if they get sick or lose their job, and offering more affordable choices through new health insurance exchanges will significantly improve our healthcare system.
"The AMA will continue to work with Chairman Baucus and his colleagues to strengthen this proposal. The AMA continues to call for permanent repeal of the current Medicare physician payment formula that threatens seniors' access to care. The House has already recognized the importance of this action by including it in pending legislation.
"Without permanent repeal of the current formula, physicians face cuts of 40% over the next few years that will erode access and choice for America's seniors. A recent AARP poll found that 90% of people 50 and over are concerned that the current Medicare physician payment formula threatens their access to care.
"After further review of the proposal, the AMA will continue ongoing discussions with Chairman Baucus and other Finance Committee members regarding policies of concern to physicians."
Karen Ignagni
President and CEO
America's Health Insurance Plans
"Senator Max Baucus has led an unprecedented and rigorous bipartisan process to enact healthcare reform this year and challenged all stakeholders to contribute to this process. The introduction of legislation in the Finance Committee is a very important step in the healthcare reform process.
"Health plans have stepped up and proposed robust insurance market reforms to ensure nobody falls through the cracks and a complete overhaul of administrative processes that will improve efficiency, reduce paperwork, and free up time for doctors to focus on patient care. We also advocated and support a new reinsurance mechanism to assist in the transition to new market rules.
"We are committed to working with policymakers and stakeholders to find savings in the Medicare program, including Medicare Advantage, but it is important to ensure seniors' healthcare choices are protected.
"New health insurance reforms and consumer protections will guarantee access for all Americans without the need for a new untested government-created co-op that could disrupt the quality coverage on which millions of Americans rely today. We believe there is an opportunity for additional system-wide cost containment to ensure coverage is more affordable and to put our healthcare system on a sustainable and fiscally responsible path. New taxes on healthcare coverage will have the opposite effect by making coverage less affordable for families and employers across the country.
"As the process progresses, health plans will continue working with members of Congress to enact bipartisan legislation this year that will cover all Americans, make coverage more affordable, and improve quality."