In a coup for the Medicare for All Movement and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) author of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 (HR 1384), on June 12, 2019, the House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on Pathways to Universal Health Coverage.
The entire hearing, which ran over four hours, can be heard on Youtube.
Witnesses included the following (click the links below to hear their testimony, as provided by the House Ways and Means Committee):
Rebecca Wood Testimony
Patient advocate and mother who lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts
Excerpt: Due to severe preeclampsia, [my daughter] was delivered via emergency c section ten hours into her twenty sixth week of gestation…She weighed one pound twelve ounces and was the size of my hand….Co pays, deductibles, automatic denials, and exclusions drained our savings and financially devastated us over time… I’m lucky she survived. I’m fortunate she thrived. But, it shouldn’t have cost me nearly everything.
Tricia Neuman, Sc.D. Testimony
Senior Vice President and Director of the Program on Medicare Policy at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that conducts and shares health policy research, analysis, polling and more.
Excerpt: Medicare-for-all would require a major change in the way in which health coverage and care is organized and financed in the U.S….On the one hand, it would substantially reduce health care costs paid directly by individuals, employers and states (because they would be relieved of Medicaid spending under the House bill). It would provide comprehensive benefits, including long-term services and supports (not currently covered by Medicare) with no premiums, deductibles or cost sharing. On the other hand, it would disrupt current coverage arrangements, at least initially, eliminate all private insurance, including employer coverage, change how and how much providers are paid, and increase federal spending and taxes.
Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP Testimony
President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which “works with health systems, countries and other organizations to improve quality, safety and value in health care.” Former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Excerpt: Medicare for All is not an end in itself. It is a means to achieve what we care about: better care, better health, lower cost, and leaving no one out. I am open to considering any proposal that moves our nation fast and well toward those goals. Compared with Medicare for All, I see none better.
Pam MacEwan Testimony
Chief Executive Officer for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange which operates the online health insurance exchange in the state of Washington established under the Affordable Care Act.
Excerpt: Everyone in our market and our nation, particularly those who remain without coverage, would benefit from Congress working immediately to strengthen the ACA and help us improve affordability and financial stability in the individual market.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, MPP Testimony
Managing Director at Manatt Health, a law firm whose clients include some of the biggest healthcare corporations in the nation, including Aetna, Ascension Health, Blue Shield of California, Dignity Health and Tenet Healthcare.
Excerpt: Recent public polls suggest that the majority of Americans favor some form of additional public coverage—ranging from 56% in favor of single-payer programs and 77% in favor of Medicare buy-in for older Americans.
Today, I will focus my remarks on a subset of proposals that would expand on current government programs and offer additional coverage options…Unlike single-payer proposals, these proposals also envision that commercial insurance markets and other facets of the existing healthcare system remain in place.
Grace-Marie Turner Testimony
President of the Galen Institute, a proponent of “free market” health care.
Excerpt: I would argue that the growing presence of government is a significant contributor to these problems. In the health sector, government officials, not consumers, increasingly determine what services can or must be covered, how much will be paid, and who is eligible to both deliver and receive these services. Third-party payment systems and the resulting lack of price and benefit transparency lead to significant disruptions in the market. Consumers are at the bottom of the health care totem pole.
Reaction from the Press
The press focus was less on the points made during the hearing and more on the divide within the Democratic Party on the topic of on-going healthcare reform.
First major ‘Medicare for All’ hearing sharpens attacks on both sides (The Hill)
The hearing was mostly partisan and light on substance, with members using their allotted time to rail for or against the proposal instead of questioning the panel of health care experts and advocates at the witness table.
The Democrats who are still undecided on Medicare-for-all, explained (Vox)
[It was] the Democratic establishment versus Medicare-for-all. . . .
Top Democrats hesitate again on Medicare for All (CNN)
… the party’s top leaders remain lukewarm about Medicare for All, at best. While they acknowledge Obamacare has not achieved all its goals of increasing coverage and lowering costs, they are focusing on strengthening the landmark health reform law and reversing the steps President Donald Trump has taken to dismantle it.
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