June 4, 2009
Dear Friend,
As you have probably seen, the Congress is about to take up the critical task of healthcare reform. The economic downturn has shown us that our healthcare system is not just a moral embarrassment but an economic liability. Unexpected healthcare expenses cause roughly half the personal bankruptcies in the U.S. All three auto companies stagger under the weight of employee and retiree healthcare costs. Our small businesses choose between uncovered employees and offering coverage that may drive a business into bankruptcy.
We cannot fundamentally repair the economy without fixing this broken "system." We can turn the economy around, but unless we finally address the inefficiency and costs of health care, our economy will be hobbled, and we as a nation will not be able to compete globally.
I feel an obligation to my constituents to work to establish a system that will provide access to doctors to every American and contain costs for the taxpayer and our businesses. Fail in the first goal, and we will continue to live with the moral and economic costs of a broken system. Fail in the second, and we will simply add to the unsustainable trajectory of the entitlements we now offer.
Last month, I conducted a listening tour throughout the district and engaged every stakeholder in this debate - healthcare providers, patients, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals. Much can be learned by the failures of our current system. As it stands, hardly anyone in the healthcare system has an incentive to keep Americans healthy--payment follows diagnosis, therapy, treatment, and cure. Doctors have powerful incentives to specialize rather than dedicating themselves to primary and preventive care. Liability concerns drive them into the practice of defensive medicine.
We need a plan that incorporates a comprehensive, portable, patient and doctor-friendly system for providing care. At a minimum, any health care plan must make basic, preventive-based care accessible to everyone. It must modernize our health care system with innovative and strategic use of information technology, designed to reduce overhead costs and save lives. And it must have clear standards of treatment to reduce the amount of non-evidence-based and defensive medicine being practiced.
Change can be frightening, so I think it's important to preserve the positive aspects of our current system. We need to ensure that our plan preserves the ability of patients to choose their own doctor and that the doctor-patient relationship drives decisions. We need to make sure that pharmaceutical companies continue to seek new drugs and treatments.
Whatever plan Congress adopts, it must promote accountability, quality, and efficiency in the healthcare system. Most importantly, it must be a plan that will improve the health of all Americans as well as the economic and moral health of America itself.
Sincerely yours,
Congressman Jim Himes
P.S. Follow me on Twitter jahimes to get the most up-to-date information directly from me!
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