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CCH® BENEFITS — 2/28/07

Senators Call On President Bush To Support Universal Health Care Coverage

from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: Five Senate Democrats and five Senate Republicans have sent a letter to President George W. Bush asking to work with him to “fix the American health care system.”

The February 13 letter stated: “Further delay is unacceptable as costs continue to skyrocket, our population ages, and chronic illness increases. In addition, our businesses are at a severe disadvantage when their competitors in the global market get health care for ‘free.’”

The letter recommends legislation that would do the following:

  1. Ensure that all Americans would have affordable, quality, private health coverage, while protecting current government programs.
  2. Modernize federal tax rules for health care coverage; the current rules disproportionately favor the most affluent, while promoting inefficiency.
  3. Create more opportunities and incentives for states to design health solutions for their citizens.
  4. Take steps to create a culture of wellness through prevention strategies, rather than perpetuating the current emphasis on sick care. For example, Medicare Part A pays thousands of dollars in hospital expenses, while Medicare Part B provides no incentives for seniors to reduce blood pressure or cholesterol.
  5. Encourage more cost-effective chronic and compassionate end-of-life care.
  6. Improve access to information on price and quality of health services.

The letter was signed by Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Robert Bennett (Utah), Ken Salazar (Col.), Trent Lott (Miss.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Herb Kohl (Wis.), and John Thune (S.D).

For more information on this and related topics, consult the CCH Pension Plan Guide, CCH Employee Benefits Management, and Spencer's Benefits Reports.

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