Queens Community House would like to commend President Obama and our Congressional representatives for prioritizing health care reform this year.  As members of Congress work to combine the House and Senate versions of the bill, we urge them to consider the following priorities which would bolster the health of a greater number of New Yorkers.

The expansion of Medicaid eligibility would address the health disparities in our country by greatly increasing the number of Americans able to access affordable healthcare.  But we urge our legislators to enact the House’s Medicaid match plan which would provide a 100% federal Medical match to states for the first 2 years and a 91% federal match for all states.  The Senate’s plan for expanding Medicaid would penalize states like New York that are already using state funds to expand Medicaid enrollment and reward states that have failed to do so.

We are deeply concerned that the Senate plan bars undocumented immigrants from buying insurance on the newly developed “exchange” with their own money.  If the Senate plan passes, undocumented immigrants would likely depend on emergency room services to treat otherwise preventable ailments.  Emergency room services are more costly to taxpayers and jeopardize the wellness of millions of people living in our country.  Nobody lives in isolation.  Pursuing health for each one of us averts negative externalities for all of us.  We urge decision-makers to adhere to the House’s plan which allows anyone without insurance to utilize a “national insurance exchange” rather than creating state exchanges for U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.

The Medicare prescription drug donut hole leaves older adults in the lurch after exceeding their annual coverage limit.  Retirees on fixed incomes are forced to pay for their medications out of pocket, and many end up rationing their prescriptions or not taking them at all once their coverage runs out.  The House plan completely closes the gap by 2019, while the Senate relies on drug company discounts and a one-time $500 reduction to attempt to close this coverage gap.  We’ve all seen how committed drug companies are to self-regulating for the public good.  We urge legislators to adopt the House plan.

The Senate aims to finance reforms by taxing the benefits of Americans who currently receive so-called “Cadillac” insurance plans, otherwise known as comprehensive insurance plans.  Many New Yorkers on all ends of the income spectrum have insurance plans which would fall prey to this new tax. Taxing such insurance plans would discourage employers from providing these benefits.  The House suggests paying for reform by placing a small surcharge on the wealthiest Americans instead which would be a more equitable solution.

The House bill repeals the Children’s Health Insurance Program which has been proven to be a successful initiative.  The Senate bill maintains the program through 2019, with better benefits and stronger out-of-pocket cost protections.  It would be unwise to dismantle a successful initiative at this point in time.

Lastly, the House bill lifts insurer’s anti-trust exemption that limits competition and can cause premiums to rise.  Small businesses and non-profits have been pummeled by the rising cost of insurance.  Non-profit organizations rely on multi-year funding contracts which don’t allocate funds to account for the rising costs of health care plans.  In recent years, budget-strapped nonprofits have struggled to maintain a continuum of coverage for employees and find ways to keep up with rising costs.  Lifting this exemption would help companies continue to provide quality insurance for their employees.