NEW YORK NURSE: September 2009

Healthcare reform enters new phase

As Congress returned to session in September, its members faced a crucial decision about healthcare reform legislation.

The provisions of this legislation were unclear. The House bill (HR3200) was voted out of various committees before the August recess. A Senate bill had not been formally introduced, and was being worked on by a bipartisan committee headed by Senator Max Baucus of Montana.

Neither bill is a single-payer plan. Despite the heroic efforts of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Manhattan), who ensured that single-payer would get a hearing and a vote, “Medicare for all” did not have majority support in either the House or the Senate.

NYSNA believes that, although a single-payer plan would provide the best coverage at the lowest cost, any reform bill must:

Include a broad, robust public plan option that would cover all the uninsured. Any individual or employer would be able to choose this plan.
Allow the creation of single-payer plans by individual states; this amendment was introduced in committee by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and added to HR3200.
Not include a tax on the value of individual health benefits.
Institute restrictions on the private healthcare insurance industry designed to prevent practices such as denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and refusing needed treatment.

For current information on the healthcare reform legislation and a link to the ANA RN Activist Toolkit, visit the Legislative Advocacy area at nysna.org.