07.07.08

Cantwell Joins Effort to Provide All Americans with Affordable, High Quality Health Care

Signs on to Comprehensive, Bipartisan Health Care Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the nation’s health care costs continue to rise and more and more Americans are left either underinsured or uninsured, today U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced her support for the Healthy Americans Act, legislation sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bob Bennett (R-UT). The Healthy Americans Act is the first bicameral, bipartisan comprehensive measure to fully insure virtually all Americans and provide them with affordable, portable, and high quality health insurance coverage.
 
“With 47 million uninsured Americans, 9 million of whom are children, Congress can no longer sit idly by hoping that the country’s health care crisis will fix itself,” said Cantwell. “The Healthy American Act recognizes that our health care system is broken, and we need to start having a serious conversation about our country’s health care priorities. By providing affordable, portable, high-quality health care for virtually every American, the Healthy Americans Act is a step in the right direction.”
 
The Healthy Americans Act:
  • Guarantees affordable, high quality, private health coverage for all Americans that can never be taken away;
  • Provides benefits equal to those available to Members of Congress;
  • Gives incentives for individuals and insurers to focus on prevention, wellness and disease management to encourage healthy living and prevent illness;
  • Saves $1.48 trillion over 10 years and is fully paid for using the $2.2 trillion currently spent on health care in America; and
  • Has a negligible impact on the federal budget according to multiple independent studies.
 
The Healthy Americans Act guarantees affordable private health insurance for every American by:
  • Modernizing the relationship between employers, employees and health insurance: Employers “cash out” the current value of their health insurance and give the money to employees allowing Americans to choose the health insurance plan that fits their needs and travels with them, regardless of employment status. Employers who do not currently provide health benefits will be required to make phased-in payments to the federal government to fund premium subsidies on a sliding scale.
  • Guaranteeing portable private health insurance for every American: Under the Healthy Americans Act, Americans have the power to choose from a long list of private health insurance plans or their employer’s plan. All plans will provide health coverage as good as what Members of Congress receive regardless of age, pre-existing health conditions, or place of residence.
  • Eliminating inefficiency and waste in the system: By centralizing the administrative functions of enrolling in plans, the Healthy Americans Act is expected to save more than $29 billion. The Act invests in health information technology, such as e-prescribing and electronic health records, and incentivizes best practices.
  • Focusing on keeping Americans healthy: The Healthy Americans Act focuses on preventive care by giving insurance companies and doctors a financial incentive to keep you healthy. Also, it offers rewards for participation in wellness programs with lower insurance premiums.
  • Strengthening the Medicare program: The Healthy Americans Act seeks to strengthen the Medicare program for seniors and people with disabilities by introducing incentives for primary care and participation in wellness programs.
  • Utilizing market forces to drive competition: Provides for patient-driven health care through market forces by allowing more transparency and competition, thereby forcing insurance companies to compete on price, benefits, and quality.
 
 
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