Welch says Democratic health bill should control costs

Print More
MP3

(Host) Congressman Peter Welch says he’s convinced that a new health care plan supported by House Democratic leaders will help control future medical costs.

Welch says several important provisions of the bill are patterned after initiatives pioneered in Vermont.

VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.

(Kinzel) As a member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, Welch has been directly involved in the health care debate.

He says he supports the bill because it includes subsidies to help low and middle income people purchase health care insurance. It creates a new public plan that would be similar to Medicare. And it calls for a reform of the medical payment system.

Welch says the measure also sets minimum benefit levels for all health care policies.

(Welch) "My goal is to have legislation pass that is going to significantly increase access to folks without coverage; that it has real cost savings to bend that cost curve; and that does require insurance companies to play by the rules and not rip off consumers. So my goal is to get the best possible bill that we can for Americans."

(Kinzel) Welch says the bill includes a number of cost containment measures that are influenced by Vermont’s Blueprint for Health. He says the goal is to encourage primary care providers to offer coordinated care to people with chronic illnesses.

(Welch) "The indications are that where you actually get away from that volume-driven approach, we’re seeing some implementation of our Vermont efforts here in Rutland and St. Johnsbury, that you can get better health outcomes, and you can actually bend that cost curve. That has to be part of our health care reform."

(Kinzel) The full House will consider the health care reform bill when it returns to Washington after its August recess.

Welch thinks the future of the bill will be strongly influenced by public reaction during the recess.

(Welch) "It’s so important that having this chance to spend the month listening to Vermonters, answering their questions, kicking the tires of this legislation is good. So we’ll see, I think, what happens. What members of Congress all around the country hear during this month is going to be very influential in how this proceeds when we return in the fall."

(Kinzel) The bill is financed by achieving cost savings and by imposing an income tax surcharge on people who make more than $500,000 a year.

Welch says the tax surcharge is a reasonable way to raise money for the legislation.

For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier

Comments are closed.