I am proud to co-sponsor S.1099, Patients' Choice Act of 2009, which seeks to strengthen the relationship between the patient and the doctor and ensure universal, affordable health care for all Americans by:
Preventing disease and promoting healthier lifestyles
Creating affordable and accessible health insurance options
Equalizing the tax treatment of health care, empowering all Americans with real access to coverage
Modernizing the Medicaid benefit and protecting Medicare beneficiary choice
Ensuring compensation for injured patients
Establishing transparency in health care price and quality
During consideration of overall health care reform legislation, the Patients' Choice Act was offered as a full substitute amendment to the Democrats’ proposal. However, it was defeated in a 14 to 9 vote
The Patients’ Choice Act would restore fairness in the tax code and give every American, regardless of employment status, the ability to purchase health insurance by:
Decoupling health insurance from an individual’s job by treating the employer-subsidized portion of the benefit as taxable income and replacing it with an advanceable and refundable tax credit of $2,300 per individual or $5,700 per family;
Improving the operation of Health Savings Accounts [HSAs] by allowing health insurance premiums to be paid with HSAs without a tax penalty;
Allowing preventative services to be covered by High Deductible Health Plans; and
Increasing the amount of money an HSA owner may annually contribute to their account.
The Patients’ Choice Act also would create affordable and accessible health insurance options through state or regional health insurance exchanges that offer everyone risk-adjusted private options. State or regional exchanges would not be allowed to discriminate based on pre-existing conditions and participating plans would have to meet the definition of coverage employed in Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans.
The Patients’ Choice Act would establish transparency in health care pricing and quality through the creation of a public-private Healthcare Services Commission that would publish and enforce quality and price information.
The Patients’ Choice Act would alleviate state budget concerns and the stigma of Medicaid by allowing those who chose to enroll switch into higher quality private plans through direct assistance.
The Patients’ Choice Act also encourages increased coordination of federal and state prevention efforts to reduce rates of chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes.
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