Monday
Oct262009
Rockefeller Says He Defended CHIP, Supports Public Option With Opt-In Clause
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 2:04PM
By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
On Monday Senate Finance Committee member and Chairman of the Finance Committee on Health Care Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said he believes that his committee's bill is nowhere near perfect, but is significantly better than the “status quo.”
“I’ve made no secret to the fact that we could’ve dug deeper, we could’ve gotten a lot more creative and we could’ve worked together much better, but the Gods were not leaning in that direction,” Rockefeller said of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009.
The Democrat from West Virginia expressed content over the fact that the committee successfully defended the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Children’s Medicaid. He revealed that on the last day of the committee’s mark up of the bill, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) asked him to withdraw the CHIP amendment.
“The Chairman came up to me and actually asked me to withdraw the amendment, which I found most extraordinary,” said Rockefeller, “I refused to, and so we prevailed because the amendment speaks so strongly for itself,” he added.
Rockefeller said he does believe that a final, comprehensive reform bill will pass the Senate, adding that a public option is the only way to keep insurance companies “honest.”
Rockefeller said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is going to do the “best he can” while molding the two Senate health care bills together. Reid is expected to announce later today his intention to vie for a public option that would include a provision to allow individual states to opt-out.
“I believe that the merged bill will have a strong public option, my guess is that it will be an opt-out,” Rockefeller said, adding that he would prefer the opt-out plan over an opt-in.
In addition, he said there is no need for a trigger for a public option. He believes a public option will keep insurance companies competitive and will cover those who cannot afford private insurance, rendering a trigger option needless.
Rockefeller closed by saying, “We have a long way to go on all of this.”
On Monday Senate Finance Committee member and Chairman of the Finance Committee on Health Care Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said he believes that his committee's bill is nowhere near perfect, but is significantly better than the “status quo.”
“I’ve made no secret to the fact that we could’ve dug deeper, we could’ve gotten a lot more creative and we could’ve worked together much better, but the Gods were not leaning in that direction,” Rockefeller said of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009.
The Democrat from West Virginia expressed content over the fact that the committee successfully defended the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Children’s Medicaid. He revealed that on the last day of the committee’s mark up of the bill, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) asked him to withdraw the CHIP amendment.
“The Chairman came up to me and actually asked me to withdraw the amendment, which I found most extraordinary,” said Rockefeller, “I refused to, and so we prevailed because the amendment speaks so strongly for itself,” he added.
Rockefeller said he does believe that a final, comprehensive reform bill will pass the Senate, adding that a public option is the only way to keep insurance companies “honest.”
Rockefeller said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is going to do the “best he can” while molding the two Senate health care bills together. Reid is expected to announce later today his intention to vie for a public option that would include a provision to allow individual states to opt-out.
“I believe that the merged bill will have a strong public option, my guess is that it will be an opt-out,” Rockefeller said, adding that he would prefer the opt-out plan over an opt-in.
In addition, he said there is no need for a trigger for a public option. He believes a public option will keep insurance companies competitive and will cover those who cannot afford private insurance, rendering a trigger option needless.
Rockefeller closed by saying, “We have a long way to go on all of this.”
Alliance For Health Reform Concerned About House Bill's Effect On Children's Health Insurance
In a panel discussion hosted by The Alliance For Health Reform, area analysts on Friday discussed the recently passed House health care reform bill and its potential impact on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Senior Researcher with the Urban Institute Stan Dorn argued that cutting CHIP entirely would force poverty stricken families to seek alternate insurance options through work-based insurers, which may not guarantee coverage.
“Why would somebody who loves children want to end the CHIP program, because it’s less certain subsidies would be guaranteed for Medicaid in both House and Senate bills... it will bring less complexity and higher paying rates for providers,” said Dorn. “But keeping CHIP around would actually save money by CBO standards...with states knowing the program will stay around through 2019, they will become more likely to invest.”
The panel lauded the successes of CHIP, a program which Congress earlier this year extended until 2013, alloting $32 billion to be used for the renewal.
Jocelyn Guyer with Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute praised CHIP and Medicaid as two affordable outlets for families that reduce childrens' health care costs.
“We really are making extraordinary progress on children and there certainly is more to be done. Increasingly the conversation also is turning to how do we make sure coverage is translated to access, but there certainly is a strong base at which to build,” said Guyer.