From the ATS's The Washington Letter

Senate HELP Committee Releases Health Reform Overview

This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), chaired by Sen. Kennedy (D-MA), released a policy summary of the committee's health reform proposal.

http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/042809%20Health%20Care%20Description%20of%20Policy%20Option.pdf

The summary outlines the main priorities for the committee's legislation, which is expected to be formally introduced in the Senate within the next week or so. Among the main priorities outlined are providing:

• Quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans
• Higher quality, more efficient delivery system
• New framework for enhancing prevention and wellness
• New structure of long-term supports and services for the disabled and seniors with chronic illness
• New mechanisms to prevent fraud and abuse
• Shared responsibility for healthcare reform

The plan outlines a number of proposals, all of which would lead to eventual universal coverage. The plan's goals include creating a public insurance option, as well as a federal Health Insurance Exchange that would provide quality and affordable options for consumers and assist those who wish to purchase private insurance. Under this plan, states would be permitted to set up their own insurance exchanges in collaboration with the federal government. Finally, the insurance industry would be governed by stricter regulation that would prohibit insurance plans from basing policies on an applicant's medical history or health status or denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition.

The HELP Committee's plan seeks to improve quality and efficiency in the healthcare delivery system through a number of mechanisms, including the development of standardized health information technology systems that are designed to conduct comparative effectiveness research, prevent medical errors, promote chronic disease management and strengthen the health workforce.

The plan would also create a Patient Safety and Clinical Delivery Institute within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to coordinate best practices for health research and dissemination. The HELP Committee plans to address health workforce shortages through a new federal Workforce Commission, expanded primary care and nurse development programs and the creation of a new grant program to train professionals in geriatric care.

The new framework for prevention and public health proposes to improve chronic disease management in a number of ways, first by utilizing the "medical homes" model to provide patient-centered comprehensive health services coordinated by a case manager and by reforming the payment system to ensure reimbursement for preventative services such as screenings and affordability of these services for patients. Finally, the plan proposes strengthening community prevention programs--including those that focus on tobacco cessation--as well as promoting an increased focus on prevention and public health in medical school and residency curriculums.

--
The Washington Letter is written by the American Thoracic Society government relations office and emailed to all ATS members living in the United States. The letter keeps clinicians, scientists, and patients abreast of legislative, judicial, and regulatory issues in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Each week's edition is archived on the ATS Web site, www.thoracic.org. If you have any questions or one more information about becoming involved in advocacy, please contact the ATS Washington office at 202-296-9770.