Health Care Summit Defines the Path Forward, But Offers Little Bipartisanship
NAAOP
Description
Collection
Title:
Health Care Summit Defines the Path Forward, But Offers Little Bipartisanship
Creator:
NAAOP
Date:
3/1/2010
Text:
Health Care Summit Defines the Path Forward, But Offers Little
Bipartisanship
After six hours of bipartisan discussions at the White House Summit on
Healthcare Reform last week, little in the way of major concessions were
made by either political party in the effort to reform the nation's health
care system. But the congressional path to an up or down vote on reform
materialized in the wake of the six-hour meeting last Thursday. Negotiations
at this level have virtually nothing to do with the immediate agenda of
orthotics and prosthetics, but the overall bill, if it is enacted, will most
assuredly impact the O&P profession.
And that is the goal of NAAOP, to ensure that if any health care legislation
passes this year, that orthotics and prosthetics are not left behind in the
wake of larger issues. There are several provisions in the House and Senate
health reform bills that impact the O&P field that NAAOP is closely
monitoring. First and foremost is inclusion of orthotics and prosthetics in
the basic benefit package that all private health plans must offer, as well
as proposals to adjust Medicare fee schedules for O&P based on
productivity. Both of these issues are in play as Congress continues to
consider legislation.
But the big news of the week was the decision by President Obama to endorse
passage of a comprehensive insurance reform bill rather than a smaller, less
controversial version of health reform. The main driver of this key decision
was the realization that far more Americans need to be in the insurance pool
if Congress is to completely re-write the rules of insurance to eliminate
pre-existing conditions and annual and lifetime caps in benefits.
This one decision means that President Obama is all in on health reform
and the ultimate outcome of this debate and congressional vote will largely
define his Presidency. He clearly intends to attempt to garner the votes of
at least a few Republicans in the process, but whether he can achieve this
is highly suspect. The chances of attracting Republican support decrease
with the likelihood that Congress will attempt to enact changes to the
Senate-passed reform bill through a process known as reconciliation which
only requires 51 votes in the Senate, rather than a filibuster-proof
majority of 60 votes.
So the irony of the bipartisan health reform summit is that it galvanized
the approach of Congressional leaders to use a partisan process to enact
health reform legislation that only Democrats favor. And despite appearing
to settle on a specific strategy and timeline for the reform votes (by the
Easter Congressional recess), it is not at all clear whether the House or
Senate has enough support to ultimately pass health reform legislation in
its current form.
As more details emerge, NAAOP will continue to relay developments,
especially as those developments impact the field of orthotics and
prosthetics.
Please visit our website at: www.naaop.org
NAAOP
1501 M Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-1700
e-mail: <Email Address Redacted>
(800) 622-6740
(202) 624-0064 Phone
(202) 785-1756 Fax
www.naaop.org
Bipartisanship
After six hours of bipartisan discussions at the White House Summit on
Healthcare Reform last week, little in the way of major concessions were
made by either political party in the effort to reform the nation's health
care system. But the congressional path to an up or down vote on reform
materialized in the wake of the six-hour meeting last Thursday. Negotiations
at this level have virtually nothing to do with the immediate agenda of
orthotics and prosthetics, but the overall bill, if it is enacted, will most
assuredly impact the O&P profession.
And that is the goal of NAAOP, to ensure that if any health care legislation
passes this year, that orthotics and prosthetics are not left behind in the
wake of larger issues. There are several provisions in the House and Senate
health reform bills that impact the O&P field that NAAOP is closely
monitoring. First and foremost is inclusion of orthotics and prosthetics in
the basic benefit package that all private health plans must offer, as well
as proposals to adjust Medicare fee schedules for O&P based on
productivity. Both of these issues are in play as Congress continues to
consider legislation.
But the big news of the week was the decision by President Obama to endorse
passage of a comprehensive insurance reform bill rather than a smaller, less
controversial version of health reform. The main driver of this key decision
was the realization that far more Americans need to be in the insurance pool
if Congress is to completely re-write the rules of insurance to eliminate
pre-existing conditions and annual and lifetime caps in benefits.
This one decision means that President Obama is all in on health reform
and the ultimate outcome of this debate and congressional vote will largely
define his Presidency. He clearly intends to attempt to garner the votes of
at least a few Republicans in the process, but whether he can achieve this
is highly suspect. The chances of attracting Republican support decrease
with the likelihood that Congress will attempt to enact changes to the
Senate-passed reform bill through a process known as reconciliation which
only requires 51 votes in the Senate, rather than a filibuster-proof
majority of 60 votes.
So the irony of the bipartisan health reform summit is that it galvanized
the approach of Congressional leaders to use a partisan process to enact
health reform legislation that only Democrats favor. And despite appearing
to settle on a specific strategy and timeline for the reform votes (by the
Easter Congressional recess), it is not at all clear whether the House or
Senate has enough support to ultimately pass health reform legislation in
its current form.
As more details emerge, NAAOP will continue to relay developments,
especially as those developments impact the field of orthotics and
prosthetics.
Please visit our website at: www.naaop.org
NAAOP
1501 M Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-1700
e-mail: <Email Address Redacted>
(800) 622-6740
(202) 624-0064 Phone
(202) 785-1756 Fax
www.naaop.org
Citation
NAAOP, “Health Care Summit Defines the Path Forward, But Offers Little Bipartisanship,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 24, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/231269.
