What an exciting weekend it was! I watched news coverage of the House’s health care reform debate as if it were Game 7 of the NBA Finals. And as we all now know, House Democrats won out a squeaker of a vote, passing H.R. 3962 220-215, just two votes more than the 218 needed for approval.
I expected to get to the office this morning and start working the phone to get reaction from benefits stakeholders. However, the PR machine must have been in overdrive all weekend, because several reaction statements were waiting for me in my inbox before I’d even poured my morning coffee. I hold nothing back from you, DD readers. Here’s some of what folks are saying:
American Benefits Council President James A. Klein: “[H.R. 3962’s passage] makes the Senate the last hope for a balanced, responsible measure that might have some chance for bipartisan support. As an organization that has worked tirelessly for years to reform the health care system, the American Benefits Council is greatly disappointed that [Saturday’s] vote represents a missed opportunity to craft a bill that would not only address the imperative to expand coverage, but would also truly improve the quality of care, and meaningfully begin to control costs. Instead, this legislation is likely to destabilize the employer-sponsored health coverage system that serves 160 million Americans. As we have stated repeatedly over the past several months, the House bill’s regulatory framework will, unintentionally, compel many employers to cease offering health coverage and simply ‘pay’ a penalty rather than ‘play’ through sponsoring a plan – thereby losing all the innovation that employers bring through promoting wellness programs and insisting on good quality outcomes.”
Society for Human Resource Management: "SHRM is disappointed that the House has approved health care legislation in a form that falls short of controlling long-term costs. While the House-passed bill does contain many positive reforms, it creates new burdens or impediments that will have an adverse affect on health care costs, and it weakens efforts to promote wellness and preventive care."
AHIP President Karen Ignagni: “[H.R. 9362] fails to bend the health care cost curve and breaks the promise that those who like their current coverage can keep it. A new government-run plan will cause millions to lose their existing coverage and draconian Medicare Advantage cuts will force millions of seniors out of the program entirely. This bill imposes inflexible mandates before getting everyone covered and new regulations that duplicate what is already in place at the state level. Many of these reforms begin in 2010 after employees have already chosen their plans and contracts have been negotiated. The result will be increased costs and massive disruptions in the quality coverage individuals and families rely on today. Without real and effective measures to bend the cost curve, families and employers will not be able to afford coverage and health care costs will rise at a rate much faster than the overall economy is able to sustain.”
But as happy as I am to get reaction from the full alphabet of organizations with a dog in this hunt, the reaction I’m most interested in is yours. So let me know, readers: What’s your reaction to the passage of H.R. 3962? When you contact your senator to give them an earful about reform, what will you say?
