AWB affiliates both with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. AWB is the state chamber and manufacturing and technology association and we work closely with NAM and the Chamber on issues such as health care. With President Obama promising massive changes to our health care and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) promising House action this summer, it is important to consider what is on the table.
From the Renee Sinclair, the Northwest Region Executive Director for U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here is a good summary of Senator Kennedy's proposal. At AWB, Donna Steward (DonnaS@awb.org) and Debra Brown (DebraB@awb.org) handle health care. Here is Renee's latest federal update on health care legislation in Washington, D.C.:
Sen. Kennedy outlines reform plans. In an op-ed in the Boston Globe, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) outlines the health care reform legislation he and his colleagues have been working on. "Our legislation will include five major elements," Sen. Kennedy notes. "First, we will give Americans better choices for health insurance, "which will allow people to keep current coverage or choose from "new, more affordable options." The legislation will also "go after fraud and abuse, cut red tape, and make sure that doctors and patients know of the latest, most effective therapies for their conditions. "The bill will further bring "a new emphasis on prevention" with early screening and community health initiatives, and will "make it possible for the elderly and disabled to live at home and function independently. "Finally, Kennedy plans to "take strong steps to see that America has a 21st-century workforce for a modern and responsive health care system." Costs will be shared by "businesses, government, health care providers, and individuals alike," and Kennedy asserts that once "successful reform takes hold, the American people will wonder what has taken us so long."
Kennedy plan includes mandatory coverage, employer contributions. The Washington Post reports that a health care reform plan being circulated by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy "would require every American to have insurance and would mandate that employers contribute to workers' coverage." Kennedy's plan "closely resembles extensive changes enacted in the senator's home state three years ago. In many respects it adopts the most liberal approaches to health reform being discussed in Washington," such as a public plan to compete with private insurers. "The draft summary also calls for opening Medicaid to those whose incomes are 500 percent of the federal poverty level, or $110,250 a year for a family of four."
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
