We have all heard the statistics. Premiums have doubled in nine years, growing three times faster than wages. A family in Iowa pays an extra $1,100 per year in premiums to support a broken system. If we do not alter the current system, in 10 years, $1 out of $5 will be spent on health care, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
As I’ve spoken with Iowa families through the town halls that I hosted in each county this month — and by continuing to visit the district nearly every weekend since I have been elected — it’s become clear that while people have concerns about certain proposals that have been introduced, Iowans want reform.
Any reform this Congress passes must ensure stable health-care coverage. I think all people want to know that if they lose their jobs, they will still have health insurance. They also want to know that they won’t be denied coverage or have to pay higher rates if they have a pre-existing condition. The current House bill ensures that health care cannot be taken away because you switch jobs or appear to be a high-risk patient.
The current House bill also ensures greater choices for Iowa families. The bill sets up a Health Insurance Exchange, or a marketplace for insurance plans, that will help individuals navigate what can be a very confusing system. Iowans will be able to compare numerous plans with one another and choose which plan will work best for them. The exchange will include several private insurance plans, as well as one public option.
The exchange will help control costs by creating competition in the insurance industry and ultimately increase access to quality and preventative care. According to the American Medical Association, 94 percent of insurance markets in the United States are highly concentrated, meaning that one insurer controls a large share of the market. A strong public option with lower rates will encourage private insurers to match those lower rates.
I believe this competition will work. The key to health-care reform is cost-controlling measures that will ultimately provide patients with better quality care. Everything I have been working on carries the dual goal of reducing health-care costs and increasing the quality of patient care. That includes Medicare-payment reform, addressing workforce shortages in long-term care workers for our elderly and disabled, and establishing a level playing field between insurance companies and patients.
Recently, I was able to help broker a deal with my colleagues to fix the broken Medicare-payment system that unfairly penalizes Iowa. By shifting the payment system to reward quality, we will help ensure that patients are diagnosed correctly and have access to quality health-care providers.
Real reform, to me, means that we are able to offer Iowans stability and peace of mind with their insurance. Real reform means ensuring that every man, woman, and child in this country has access to quality and affordable care. That means fixing a broken system. It means making the hard choices and demanding more from our providers.
The current House bill is not perfect, and we still have a long way to go. I am proud of many of the substantive changes that we made to the bill before the August district-work period, and I look forward to continuing my dialogue with Iowans around the district as they discuss with me what real reform means to them.
Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, represents the state’s 2nd District, which includes Iowa City.