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Healthcare A Hot Topic (con’t from the home page)
Improves the low-income subsidy programs in Medicare.
MYTH: The bill does nothing to control health care costs.
FACTS: Under the proposed bill,
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates a net savings in Medicare and Medicaid of $465 billion over the next 10 years. For example, these savings include:
$156 billion in savings by eliminating overpayments in the current system over 10 years;
$102 billion in savings by incorporating productivity adjustments into Medicare payment updates to hospitals; and
About $110 billion in savings by codifying the White House-PhRMA agreement and also requiring that drug companies provide rebates for individuals enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid that are at least as large as the Medicaid rebates that were provided prior to the enactment of Medicare Part D.
There are numerous provisions to "bend the cost curve" over the long-term. These provisions are particularly aimed at changing the incentive structure so that instead of rewarding the quantity of care, we are rewarding the quality of care. These reforms include:
Promotes Accountable Care Organizations, which encourages hospitals and doctors to work together to manage and coordinate care.
Creates incentives to reduce preventable hospital readmissions that reward transition planning and coordination for patients.
Establishes pilot projects to test "bundling" payment methodology under which one payment would be made - rather than separate payments - to any combination of a physician, acute and post-acute providers.
Promotes "medical homes" where physicians and nurse practitioners focus on ensuring patient care is coordinated and comprehensive.
Promotes "shared decision-making" with physicians and patients, which has been shown to keep health care costs down and patients fully involved in their care.
The bill also includes numerous other provisions to control costs, including provisions that improve payment accuracy in Medicare and Medicaid; significantly expand investments in prevention and wellness programs; strengthen primary care; and invest in the health care workforce.
MYTH: The bill pays for health care reform with a "small business tax" that will kill 1.6 million jobs.
FACTS: Under the proposed bill,
Roughly half of the cost of the bill is paid for by achieving efficiencies and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid.
THERE IS NO "small business tax" being proposed. One proposal is for a surcharge on the wealthiest 1.2% of American households on just a small portion of their income.
This surcharge will have only a modest impact on America's small business community. According to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, only 4.1 percent of all small business owners would pay the surcharge.
Only 1.1 percent would pay the top rate - among them, hedge fund managers, private equity fund managers, lawyers and lobbyists making millions of dollars a year.
MYTH: The health care reforms in the House bill will add to the deficit.
FACTS: Under the proposed bill,
On July 17, the CBO released estimates confirming that the health insurance reform policies in the bill are deficit-neutral over the 10-year budget window -- even producing a $6 billion surplus. CBO estimated that the cost of the bill's insurance reforms was $1.042 trillion, while the bill's cost savings and revenues totaled $1.048 trillion. CBO estimated that these reforms will provide affordable coverage for 97 percent of Americans two years after the program starts.
I hope you find these facts informative and helpful. Again, your input is a critical part of this process and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Christopher P. Carney
Member of Congress