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Health Care
NWB HEALTH CARE SURVEY POST-1990 RETIREES
Momentum Grows for Health Care ReformThe purpose of this web page is to give AUSWR members a resource they can use to educate themselves on health care issues and keep themselves informed on health care proposals in the U S Congress. For most retirees, health care is just as important as their pensions. Most of us depend on Qwest for our health insurance or to supplement Medicare. From its inception, a primary goal of AUSWR has been to preserve retirees’ health care benefits. This started with the class action lawsuit brought by retiree Nelson Phelps. The suit was successfully settled, with U S West agreeing that all who had retired before 1991 were entitled to keep their existing health plans. (See http://www.uswestretiree.org/mission.htm, History of Accomplishments for more information.) At the same time, the Company changed its policy and documents to include a disclaimer that allows it to change benefits for all who retired during and after 1991. Since the Qwest takeover of U S West, post-1990 retirees have seen their health care premiums, deductibles and co-payments increase each year. At the same time, premiums for Medicare have started increasing substantially each year. Some large corporations have dropped retiree health benefits entirely, and others have shifted so much cost to retirees that many cannot afford to pay the premiums. Retirees are not the only people suffering from the increases in health care costs and the cutting of health benefits by employers. Momentum is growing for a nation-wide reform of our health care system. AUSWR is monitoring these reform proposals and the introduction of legislation that impacts our health care. We urge our members to keep informed of the issues so that we can, both collectively and individually, let our Senators and Representatives know how we feel about proposed legislation.
HEALTH CARE DIRECTORY See these web sites for information about the status of health care in the United States, discussion of health care issues, and ideas for reform of the health care system. We have attempted to include only non-partisan sources that have not taken a position on what should be done. The descriptions are taken from the web sites themselves. NATIONAL COALITION ON HEALTH CARE (NCHC) The Coalition, which was founded in 1990 and is non-profit and rigorously non-partisan, is comprised of almost 100 organizations, including large and small businesses, the nation’s largest labor, consumer, religious and primary care provider groups, and the largest health and pension funds. The Coalition’s Honorary Co-Chairmen are former Presidents George Bush, Gerald R. Ford, and Jimmy Carter, and its Co-Chairmen are former Governor Robert D. Ray (R-IA) and former Congressman Paul G. Rogers (D-FL). Members are united in the belief that we need – and can achieve – better, more affordable health care for all Americans.
CITIZEN’S WORKING GROUP FOR HEALTH CARE Created by Congress and the President in the 2003 Medicare Act, this congressional commission is charged with hearing your answers to four vital questions and using your input to recommend how to make health care work for all Americans.
KAISER NETWORK This website is provided by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the nation. The Foundation is an independent voice and source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the general public.
ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH REFORM A nonpartisan, nonprofit group that has organized forums, published issues briefs and published sourcebooks for journalists on current health care topics. CENTER FOR STUDYING HEALTH SYSTEM CHANGE (HSC) A nonpartisan policy research organization, HSC seeks to provide objective, incisive analyses that lead to sound policy and management decisions, with the ultimate goal of improving the health of the American public. HSC does not take policy positions, but is a resource for decision makers on all sides of the issues because of its reliable data and objective analysis. Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) A consortium of employers and insurers. Mission is to contribute to, to encourage, and to enhance the development of sound employee benefit programs and sound public policy through objective research and education.
NRLN HEALTH CARE COMMITTEE The National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) Health Care Committee meets regularly to study legislative developments that have potential to impact our health care. Ed Bettinardi – Chair - Legislative Director of Johns Manville Retiree Association Hazel Floyd – Regional AUSWR Grassroots Director John Kotson – IBM Retirees Barbara Wilcox – AUSWR CO/WY Secretary The Committee has spent many hours researching health care issues, collecting information on problems in the current health care system in the United States, and studying proposed solutions to these health care problems. While the work is ongoing, the Committee has arrived at some preliminary conclusions.
HEALTH CARE REFORM The Committee Endorses the.... National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) Specifications for Reform:
1.
Health care reform must be a national priority. A reformed health care system should address these Principles: 1.
Health Care Coverage for All For more detail see the NCHC report: BUILDING A BETTER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM; SPECIFICATIONS FOR REFORM Legislation Proposing National Health Care Reform The NRLN Health Care Committee is using the NCHC Specifications and Principles to evaluate proposed legislation. At this time, the Committee has evaluated the following bills. As additional bills are evaluated, the evaluations will be posted on this web site. HR 676: Medicare for All. Sponsored by Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP). S 2229/HR 4683: Kennedy/Dingell Bill. Medicare for All Act
LEGISLATION EVALUATION Evaluation of S 2229, “Medicare for All,” against the National Coalition for Health Care’s Specifications and Principles Summary:This is a proposal for universal health care based on expanding Medicare in phases to cover all ages. In addition, it expands Medicare coverage to include: the same drug coverage as in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan; Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Services for individuals under age 21; mental health services; preventive services; and home and community based services. Private insurance can be offered as long as it is at least as good as the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan. Individuals can also elect to keep any insurance they get through their employer. Enrollment is automatic for all legal residents of the United States. The plan would be funded through payroll taxes, general revenues, and individual cost-sharing contributions. The plan saves money by extending coverage to all (providing administrative savings and savings due to preventive care) and by supporting health care information technology and quality care through incentives.
Evaluation of HR 676, “Medicare for All,” against the National Coalition for Health Care’s Specifications and Principles Summary:The “Medicare for All” bill addresses nearly all of the specifications and principles that the NCHC states are necessary to reform our nation’s health care. It does so by creating a single-payer, universal plan in which the federal government is the payer. Moreover, it dismantles much of the present health care system by eliminating all for-profit hospitals and health care providers and limiting the role of private insurance to providing only supplemental coverage.
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