Last Tuesday, I stopped by to announce my new website, ConversationsWithKirsten.com. We've already received hundreds of questions through the website, and I was excited to see that my post spurred a lot of discussion. We're still sorting through the questions to find the most asked questions, and I have posted some of my initial answers today.
During this process, it became clear that one topic was far and away the most discussed in this community and among the questions that I received through my website, and so I wanted to post here to make my views as clear as possible:
A not-for-profit public plan option must be included in any discussion about comprehensive health reform.
I believe that by opening up a not-for-profit public health plan like a "Medicare for all," we can ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare regardless of his or her income. In the world's wealthiest nation, it's unconscionable that people are turned away from coverage because of a pre-existing condition and that families are just one illness away from bankruptcy.
As a mother of two young boys, I know that every parent's nightmare is to not be able to have access to the best possible health care a child needs. Access to quality, affordable health care in America should be a right - not a privilege.
I believe that offering a public health care plan option to compete with private insurers is the best way to truly lower health costs, improve quality of care, and ensure access to care in rural and other underserved areas. By offering more services and limiting out-of-pocket costs like high deductibles and large co-payments, a public health plan would improve access and affordability and would set a standard for coverage and efficiency with which private insurers would have to compete. Injecting healthy competition into the health care market is the only way to achieve real health care reform.
To this end, last month, I, along with 15 of my Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to Chairmen Kennedy and Baucus insisting that a public plan be a part of any comprehensive health care reform measure. In the letter, we outlined in the clearest possible terms the importance and benefits of offering a public plan option.
"There is no reason to believe that private insurers alone will meet the public purpose of ensuring coverage for all Americans at affordable prices for taxpayers. [...]
"An alternative to private insurance will help keep that industry honest, while providing a mechanism for advancing quality-enhancing and cost-cutting strategies essential to the future viability of our health care system. In addition, an alternative to private insurance can, and should, promote the kind of delivery reform that minimizes medical errors, deters duplicative and other unnecessary tests and treatments, advances the use of information technology and best practices to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health care, and showcases successful strategies for preventing and managing catastrophic and chronic health conditions. Finally, an alternative to private insurance would ensure rural Americans, and those facing employment changes, the choice to have quality, affordable coverage backed by the strength and reliability of the federal government.
"We understand that there are many ways to design a public insurance option for uninsured Americans, and we stand ready to work with you to design this option as part of overall health reform. Health reform must include checks and balances, including public and private insurance options for the Americans we serve. We agree with you that the needs of the American citizens must take precedence over special interest groups in this critical debate."
As we wrote in the letter, there are several ways to go about achieving a public plan option and at this point all should be on the table. What should NOT be on the table, however, is the rejection of a public plan altogether. For me, that is simply a non-starter.
One idea I will support is to allow all Americans to buy into a system like Medicare at 5 percent of their income, with perhaps a smaller percentage for the lowest income families. This single solution guarantees quality and affordability, and would not be difficult to administer. If we use the Medicare model, we can make improvements to Medicare itself, such as addressing reimbursement rates up front as part of overall health care reform.
The days when more than 46 million Americans are uninsured -- and when an additional 25 million Americans are underinsured -- must end. This is a cause near to my heart, and I wanted to leave no doubt to members of this community where I stand on the issue.
If you want to help, please take a moment to email your local and national officials and make your voice heard. Your views are vital to this debate.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts on this issue.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
P.S. Thanks to Jesse here at DailyKos for the initial healthcare question that inspired my video response below: