Campaign for An American Solution - Notes from the Road

Health Care Reform Proposal

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

After six months on the road talking with Americans from all walks of life, the Campaign released a new comprehensive health care reform proposal last week in Washington, DC.

Many of our policy proposals respond directly to the things we heard during the listening tour: in Columbus, the concern about coverage for people with pre-existing conditions; the challenges faced by small businesses that we discussed in Salt Lake City; the safety net issues that were front-and-center in Detroit; and the affordability issues that were central to every conversation. We took these conversations back to Washington and they helped inform our discussions and our policy development process.

These new policy proposals will strengthen our system, ensure coverage for everyone while implementing important reforms that will make health care more affordable. The proposal includes:

Guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions and enacting an individual coverage requirement;
Fixing the health care safety net;
Giving tax credits to working families;
Calling on the nation to set a goal of reducing the growth in health care costs by 30 percent;
Enhancing portability for people changing or in between jobs;
Providing more affordable health care options for small businesses; and
Increasing value and improve quality.

The Campaign offers these proposals because we think they can help build support for workable health care reform that reflects the goals and values of the American people. We are going to continue to reach out and engage people until health care reform gets passed and signed into law.

If you want to join our campaign, please click here.
And to read more on our policy proposal please click here.

Stop Four: The Town Hall in Salt Lake City

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

We have been on the road now for almost two months meeting with Americans from all walks of life. We have been engaged in some very thought-provoking discussions about health care reform and how we can work together to make it happen. It is enlightening and rewarding to hear directly from a diverse group of Americans who have very different backgrounds and experiences, but share a concern about the future of health care in America.

The most compelling part of these meetings is the ideas and comments. Each town hall raises different issues but all with one goal in mind: health care reform. And not only are they eager, they have a great perspective on these issues.

Our town hall in Salt Lake City was co-hosted by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and included many small business owners. These entrepreneurs spoke passionately about the challenges their businesses face in providing affordable coverage to their employees. Our wide-ranging conversation focused on many key areas that are facing small business owners in Utah and across the entire country, including:

Affordability of health care for small businesses
Transparency
The rising cost of medical care
The need for affordable risk pools
Ability of small businesses to participate in networks
Administrative simplification
Consumer responsibilities

As we talked about all of these issues, we also focused on what specific ideas our industry has for reform and what we could do to build out our proposals to meet the urgent needs of small businesses. One thing is clear: no health care reform plan is complete if it does not address the need for small businesses to have access to a choice of affordable coverage options. That's a principle that should unite everyone in this debate.

Our listening tour continues. Stay tuned for more from the campaign.

Stop Two: The Roundtable in Detroit

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

We recently got back from Detroit, the second stop of our listening tour. We heard a lot of stories (be sure to watch the video from the event) and had a productive meeting with local community leaders and elected representatives to hear their priorities for health care reform.

Some of the personal stories we heard:

A woman whose husband is on Social Security Disability Insurance and afraid that if she earns too much he will lose his coverage;
An insured small business owner who can’t provide coverage for her employees;
A woman who has gone back to school in her mid-forties so that she can pursue a job with health coverage;
A young uninsured mother whose baby was turned away from the hospital when she tried to get services for her son; and
A mother who pays $9,000 out-of-pocket for coverage and can't afford the co-pays for tests and procedures.

The roundtable participants talked about their struggles with the current health care system and the impact it has on their daily lives. All of these individuals would be helped by the proposals we have made.& On the other hand, until action happens at the federal level, several of these individuals are eligible for state help and we are assisting with that.

Also in Detroit, we met with local community leaders and elected representatives who have made health care reform a priority. This discussion covered a lot of topics, but focused on: prioritizing health care reform at the federal level; providing a helping hand to small businesses; improving the safety net so people don't fall through the cracks; reducing health care disparities; and a discussion on the impact that a slowing economy is having on worker's health care coverage.

We also shared the ideas and proposals our community has put forth to cover the uninsured, improve quality, reduce health care costs, and guarantee access to coverage in the individual market. We are soliciting feedback on these proposals from people across the country to ensure we are addressing their concerns and meeting the health care needs of all Americans. The things we hear on the road will inform our industry's priorities and our proposals moving forward.

We appreciated the opportunity to listen and to learn, and look forward to our next stop on the tour.

Stop One: The Roundtable in Columbus

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

We just got back from Columbus, the first stop of our listening tour. We heard a lot of stories (be sure to watch the video from the event) and had a productive session with local residents – some had fallen through the cracks, others can't afford coverage and a couple of people chose not to purchase it.

Some of the personal stories we heard:

Two YWCA residents have to pay for their chronic disease medicine in 7-10 day increments.

A small business owner sharing his frustration over offering coverage to his employees - but being turned down because they can't afford it.

Two recent college graduates who can't find affordable coverage.

A mother of three who described being covered by Medicaid when her husband lost his job, and is now uninsured while waiting for his new job's benefits to begin.

A young man who explained that he chooses not to purchase insurance but would be willing to pay increased taxes to ensure coverage for all Americans.

We heard a lot about the high cost of medical care and why coverage costs so much in the first place. It was encouraging to see that though this diverse group of people came to the roundtable with different perspectives, all agreed that getting control of health care costs must be at the top of the national agenda.

Also in Ohio, we met with state and community leaders who are working hard to bring people together and make progress on health care reform in the state. This discussion covered a lot of topics, but focused on: our efforts to reduce costs and improve quality; what goes into insurers' administrative costs; the disparities in health care that diverse communities continue to experience; the need for more portability; and, advances in health information technology.

We also used the opportunities to discuss some of the key elements of our health care reform plan. Strengthening the health care safety net, helping working families, enabling all Americans to purchase coverage with pre-tax dollars and incentivize states to enact reform.

Talking to the people of Columbus reminded us of the urgency of working together to reform health care. That's what this campaign is all about. We appreciated the opportunity to listen and to learn, and look forward to our next stop on the tour.