Cross Posted on Blue Jersey
It’s been a busy week for those of use working to reform the broken health care system. Just two days ago, Speaker Pelosi pledged that the House would pass a meaningful reform plan by the end of July. We all know the cost of health care is too high and that there are far too many people in this country without health insurance. Now, it is time to do something about it.
On Monday, I took part in a live teleconference at Rutgers University with my good friend and fellow health care reform advocate State Senator Joe Vitale. The focus of the call was to bring together patients and reform advocates from the state and federal levels. More than 5,000 AARP members dialed in to discuss healthcare reform and the issues they’re facing with the current system.
We heard a number of compelling stories from people who are unable to afford needed coverage. That’s because insurance plans are able to discriminate against older people who have a history of illnesses or are likely to need medical care. More often than not, these people are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions or charged exorbitant prices that make it impossible to afford insurance.
We also had a lengthy conversation about the Biologics Bill pending in Congress. You can watch a video clip below of me talking about this legislation, otherwise known as the “Promoting Innovation and Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act,” and the positive impact it will have in lowering prescription costs.
On Tuesday I took part in another conference call. This one was conducted by Families USA to go over their new report: Too Great a Burden. The call was dominated by the need for reform and the opportunity we have with Barack Obama in the White House to really fix our health care system to lower costs and ensure every American access to quality healthcare coverage.
The report unveiled some startling statistics – namely, that approximately 1.5 million New Jerseyans under the age of 65 will spend at least 10% of their total income on health care this year. Of those, close to 364,000 people will spend at least 25% of their earnings on health care. Even more alarming is that many of these people actually have health coverage. Unfortunately, it's not the coverage they need. It is a false comfort to think you have insurance and then, when you really need it most you realize that you still can’t afford your medical bills.I encourage you to read the report yourself to see some other clear examples of why our system needs to be reformed. Here are just some of the findings I wanted to share with you:
- 1,465,000 non-elderly New Jerseyans are in families that will spend more than 10% of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009.
- Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people in families spending more than 10% of their pre-tax income on health care will have increased by 438,000. This increase is greater than the population of Miami and is a 42.7 % increase from 2000.
- More than 8 out of 10 people in families spending more than 10% of their pre-tax income on health care are insured.
- 1,175,000 non-elderly New Jerseyans with insurance are in families that will spend more than 10% of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009.
While both New York Congressman John Hall and Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack joined me on the call, it was Montclair resident Kenneth Colen’s story that really put a human face on the issue. A small business owner, Kenneth went out of his way to purchase a better plan for his business, so he could visit an out-of-network doctor in case of an emergency. He was subject to 30% of the charges up to $10,000, and then had unlimited coverage after $10,000.
Or so he thought.
Kenneth received news that no one wants to hear: he had a rare form of cancer that required extensive medical treatment, and the bills began to wrack up. The insurance company fought him tooth-and-nail to deny him coverage. And although he is now recovering, Kenneth still has $40,000 dollars in medical debt. This is not how people should be treated when they are dealing with a disease like cancer.
Health care reform is directly tied to the current economic situation. If people have easier access to more affordable and quality health insurance it will create a better financial effect for everyone. Right now, far too many are forced into bankruptcy because of mounting medical bills. As the Families USA report shows, they’re spending too much of their income on health care. We need a solution, and we need a solution now.
I will work with President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and my colleagues in Congress to make sure we solve these pressing problems facing America. As always, I need your help to bring about real, lasting health care reform. Please go to my website and share with me your stories and your ideas. Also, I just wanted to remind you that I have begun to Twitter. For more up-to-the-moment updates, you can follow me here!