For Immediate Release            Burson Taylor Snyder

October 30, 2009            (202) 225-6536

Blunt Supports Nine Bills to Fix

What is Broken in Health Care

–“Nothing I’m proposing is hidden in a 1,990-page bill”–

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt, Chairman of the GOP Health Care Solutions Group, has sponsored nine health care bills to improve what is working and fix what is broken in Americans’ health care.

“One of the Democrats’ rhetorical tricks in this debate over health care has been to argue that we can either do what the White House wants, or we can do nothing,” Blunt said. “These aren’t the only two choices. I’ve drafted or co-sponsored almost a dozen health care bills that can be debated one at a time, are easy to find at www.blunt.house.gov, and are understandable.”

Blunt continued: “In a week when the Democrat leadership unveiled their 1,990-page government-takeover of health care, we are listening to the American people, who are offended by confusing, thousand-plus-page bills whose importance is measured in length, rather than effectiveness. Nothing I’m proposing is hidden in a 1,990-page bill.”

“We should be making health care more affordable and accessible for everyone, regardless of pre-existing condition, and increasing quality and affordability,” Blunt said. “We should keep what works and fix what is broken, and the bills I’m supporting, after careful review of many ideas, will achieve those goals.”

BLUNT HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS

Expanding Access to Affordable Health Care

o H.R. 2607: Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act would expand access to health coverage by creating Small Business Health Plans. These would allow small businesses to band together through associations to pool their risk.

o H.R. 3218 Improving Health Care for All Americans Act would provide tax equity to individuals buying health insurance. It would also create expanded options for the purchase of low-cost health care from new pooling mechanisms.

o H.R. 3821 Improved Employee Access to Health Insurance Act would prohibit states from enacting laws which keep employers from ‘auto-enrolling’ employees in currently offered health benefit plans, provided the employee has the option to opt out with no penalty. Research suggests that auto‐enrollment mechanisms, by overcoming inertia and complexity, could increase coverage levels dramatically. In contrast to a federal mandate that all Americans must purchase insurance or face fines, the approach taken in this bill would protect individuals’ ability to make their own health care decisions.

o H.R. 3822: Improved Access to Employer Financed Health Insurance Act would allow employers who do not offer insurance to provide tax-free defined contributions to workers’ individually purchased insurance policies. Further, it would reform existing rules governing insurance markets that make it difficult for employers to help their workers buy health insurance on the individual market.

o H.R. 3823: Medicaid and SCHIP Beneficiary Choice Improvement Act would provide all Americans on Medicaid and SCHIP the ability to use premium assistance to purchase private insurance instead of participating in the government-run option.

o H.R. 3824: Expanded Health Insurance Options Act would authorize states to form regional compacts that will govern the sale of health insurance, which will increase the size of insurance pool and reduce premiums by spreading risk among a larger number of participants.

o H.R. 3887: Health Insurance Access for Young Workers and College Students Act would require that insurance companies continue to cover dependents up to age 25. In the age group 19-24, 30 percent are uninsured (about 7.3 million) and this bill will target that key population.

Medical Liability Reform

o H.R. 1086: HEALTH Act – this medical liability reform bill utilizes caps to help bring down costs. This bill will prevent double recoveries and limits the number of years plaintiffs can file suit.

Preserving Doctor/Patient Relationship

o H.R. 3002: Patients Act would protect patients by prohibiting the use of data obtained from comparative effectiveness research to deny coverage of items or services under Federal Health Care programs. This basically prevents the rationing of care.

In addition to these nine bills Blunt has sponsored or cosponsored, he is drafting bills to expand access to health information technology and enhance transparency for the price of medical procedures.