The new health-care bill and the Northwest Corner

This week, as The Lakeville Journal goes to press, it seems likely that the nation will soon have a national health-care plan.

The Northwest Corner’s elected representatives in Washington, D.C., shared their thoughts on the successful vote on Sunday, March 21.

Congressman Chris Murphy (D-5) reports that he “voted for the final health-care reform bill because it gives Connecticut residents access to affordable health care, cuts costs for businesses, strengthens Medicare for seniors, and cuts the deficit.

“While nearly every person I meet has a different idea about what the exact fix to our health insurance system should be, they know that health-care costs and health insurance practices are out of control,� he said. “The changes we need to make to our system will only come by transferring power away from the health insurance industry and to consumers, and this bill does exactly that.�

Murphy said the bill will allow residents of the Fifth District who receive health insurance coverage through their employers to keep the coverage they have now.  

But the bill will end coverage denials for pre-existing conditions, require that essential health benefits be offered, and “end the practice of insurance companies kicking individuals off their plan because they get too sick.�

The bill will make it easier for individuals and families who do not receive coverage from their employer to purchase affordable insurance, he added. Included in the bill are provisions for a tax credit to help families pay for insurance costs if they make less than $88,000.

“Tax cuts to help people pay for health insurance make sense because the biggest barrier to health insurance coverage for far too many people is cost,�
Murphy said. “So for the first time, we take the power away from the insurance companies and put it back into the hands of the people who are just trying to get coverage to take care of their families.�

He specified elements of the bill that are geared toward seniors, saying that it:

• Improves Medicare for the 109,000 beneficiaries in the Fifth District by providing free preventive care, improving primary care and enhancing nursing home care

• Closes the Medicare Part D donut hole for the 9,300 Fifth District residents experiencing this gap in coverage

• Strengthens the Medicare Trust Fund by extending its solvency by 10 years

He said the bill helps small businesses obtain insurance by:

• Allowing the 18,700 small businesses with 100 employees or less in the Fifth District to join the health insurance exchange so they can benefit from group rates and a greater choice of insurers

• Giving tax credits of up to 50 percent of the cost of providing health insurance to the 16,900 Fifth District small businesses that employ 25 people or fewer and average wages lower than $50,000

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) also released a statement after Sunday’s vote.

“The fight for health-care reform has lasted nearly a century and frustrated presidents and legislators of both parties. But tonight, at long last, we have won this fight on behalf of the American people.  

“This vote makes it clear that scare tactics and the special interests are no match for the call of history and the need for change.  No matter who they are or where they live or what they do for a living or have in the bank, every American family deserves good health care. And, with this historic legislation, they will be able to get it.â€�