Spiraling health care costs are financially crippling employers and families and driving our long-term federal deficit.  Health reform bills are designed to slow the growth in health care costs, which:

• reduces the federal deficit,
• helps shore up Medicare, and
• allows employers to increase wages, hire new employees or make other investments in their business with money that would otherwise be eaten up by skyrocketing health insurance premiums.

Today, access to coverage is unreliable. Insurers can cancel coverage after people get sick, and insurers can deny applicants with pre-existing conditions or impose waiting periods before their care is covered. On top of that, job loss often also means losing health insurance.  Health reform makes health insurance coverage more secure, which:

• reduces bankruptcies caused by medical bills,
• allows entrepreneurs to start new ventures without fear that leaving a current job will mean losing health coverage,
• lets small firms operate without providing health benefits while ensuring that their employees still have access to high-quality affordable coverage, and increases the pool of employees available to small businesses.

To learn more about heaath reform’s economic benefits to small businesses, families, the state economy, and the federal budget, see our new Policy Page Health Reform Will Benefit Texas Small Businesses and State Economy.

Want to prep for the 2/25 health reform summit with a good update on What’s in the Health Reform Bills—what they will mean for Texas, and what is happening with them in Washington? Have questions you’d like to get answered?

This morning, the CPPP hosted a webinar to answer all your questions. We covered:

•    The latest on the debate and process in Washington
•    The main building blocks for expanding coverage and insurance reform
•    Issues where compromise is still being worked out
•    Immediate reforms and Medicare improvements What YOU can do to affect the debate

The presentation is available on the CPPP site for download, and a recording of the webinar and the follow-up Q&A has been posted as well.

It remains difficult to understand how a company that made $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009 alone can justify massive increases that will leave consumers with nothing but bad options: pay more for coverage, cut back on benefits or join the ranks of the uninsured. High health care costs alone cannot account for a premium increase that is 10 times higher than national health spending growth. Katherine Sebelius’ response to WellPoint regarding rate hikes of 39%

Unfortunately, this story is not unique to California or a financial faux pas carried out by WellPoint alone.  A recent report by Health Care for American Now! revealed that the five largest insurance firms — WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group Inc, Cigna Corp, Aetna Inc, and Humana Inc – raked in $12.2 billion in profits in 2009, a 56 percent increase from the previous year. They also proposed rate increases between 13 and 40 percent (mostly in the individual and small group markets) in several states.  By the end of last year roughly 2.7 million Americans lost their coverage, while CEOs of the top five firms each received as much as $24 million in compensation. It is a bitter pill to swallow.

Growing health care premiums have forced many people to make tough decisions on how to pay for health care. Increasingly, employers are expecting workers to pay a greater share of health care costs—or cutting benefits all together. Younger and healthier people may choose to drop out to save money, and the risk pool deteriorates, causing prices to increase further. A report by the Commonwealth Fund found that nearly 75 percent of people seeking coverage on the individual market did not buy coverage, 61 percent of those individuals cited costs as the primary factor in their decision.  This is the dreaded death spiral that health reform legislation was meant to prevent.

Texans have watched their premiums nearly double since 2000, and without meaningful reform experts project that they will double again by 2020.  Folks gulped at the proposed rate increases in California, but data from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) show that insurers have already been charging small businesses in Texas premiums as high as $29,000 per person per year. It’s clear the health insurance status quo is too expensive and unsustainable.  We need our leaders in Washington to get the job done, and make high quality affordable health care available to every American.

The Kaiser Family Foundation released mid-January poll results that found Americans squarely divided on national health reform proposals—at least at first glance. The poll went on to show that large proportions of Americans are unaware of the major provisions of heath reform bills, and their support increases dramatically when told about provisions like tax credits to help small businesses cover their employees, health insurance exchanges where coverage options can be compared; closing the Medicare drug benefit “doughnut hole,” and eliminating denials and rate hikes because of pre-existing conditions.

The sometimes raucous debate over hot-button issues (and outright untruths) of the last 6 months has worked against Americans getting a clear picture of the framework of health reform. This Policy Page provides a high-level outline of the key insurance coverage elements of the Senate bill, noting areas in which compromises with the House are likely.

Visit TVHR’s Letter to the Editor Guide for tips on writing letters to the editor and 11 helpful themes with background information to help you frame your letters.

Call Congress NOW! 1-877-264-4226

Though media reports may not yet have made it clear across the nation, the word in Washington DC is that the President and leaders of both chambers of Congress are solidly committed to doing what it takes to move health care reform across the finish line. They agree that failure to deliver comprehensive health reform is not an option, and they fully intend to seize this historic opportunity to move our country ahead. The notions of scaling back health reform or trying to instead pass bits and pieces of legislation have been quickly discarded as both ineffective and unnecessary.

The most likely path to passage is a two-step process in which the House would adopt the Senate’s bill, and another bill would be passed by both chambers which would modify the Senate version to include compromises negotiated between the two chambers.  Working out the exact timeline and process is our elected officials’ job; our job is to help keep them on track and hold them accountable:

1. Make sure our friends, neighbors and communities know that there is still a strong commitment to pass health reform,
2. Let members of Congress know that their constituents want and expect them to move forward with comprehensive reform, and
3. Educate our communities about the positive benefits of reform.

What to do right now?  Call Congress! 1-877-264-4226

We need every U.S. Representative from Texas who voted for the House’s reform bill to again commit to passing reform.  They need to hear from Texans that we want reform and we will stand behind them.  They are still hearing from the tea party contingent, and we must make our voices heard, too!

Texans Voting YES on Health Reform:

• Henry Cuellar, 28th District (Laredo, McAllen, Seguin)
• Lloyd Doggett, 25th District (Austin, San Marcos)
• Charlie A Gonzalez, 20th District (San Antonio)
• Al Green, 9th District (Houston)
• Gene Green, 29th District (Houston, Baytown)
• Rubén Hinojosa, 15th  District (Harlingen, McAllen)
• Sheila Jackson Lee, 18th District (Houston)
• Eddie Bernice Johnson,  30th District (Dallas)
• Solomon P Ortiz, 27th District (Brownsville, Corpus Christi)
• Silvestre Reyes, 16th District (El Paso)
• Ciro Rodriguez, 23rd District (San Antonio, Uvalde)

Voting No:

• Chet Edwards, 17th District (Waco, Bryan/College Station)
• all Republican members from Texas

If your own Representative voted “No” on health reform, please call another Texas Congressperson and urge them to vote yes!

Call toll-free 1-877-264-4226

Here is a suggested script for your calls to U.S Representatives:

I am calling today to urge Congressman/Congresswoman _________ to get the job done and pass comprehensive national health reform as soon as possible!

This is the most important part of your message!  If you want to say more:

• Thank you for your hard work writing the House’s strong bill.
• Please fight for “fixes” to the Senate bill, but I understand that there are limits to what is possible.
• The Senate bill plus House improvements will help millions of uninsured Texans gain affordable coverage, and help millions more keep the coverage they have today.
• I pledge to support the Congresswoman(/man) them for her(/his) championship of health reform.

Next:  Make an Appointment!

The February Congressional recess is February 15-19, and this is a great opportunity to meet with your member of Congress at home in their district.  Call your member’s district office today to make an appointment to talk about how important health reform is to you.  In the coming week, Texas Voice for Health Reform will send you talking points, scripts and background materials you can use when meeting with your Congressperson and talking to your congregations and communities.

Don’t know who represents you? Visit www.house.gov to find out who represents you and the phone number for their district office.

After a couple of days of regrouping and strategizing, a plan of action has coalesced for Americans who are outraged by the notion that health reform legislation might be stopped in its tracks.

Please remember today that no matter who employs you and what their position on health reform is, you can and must speak up as an American for health reform at this critical hour.

If you are angry that pursuit of the “perfect” has driven a stake through the heart of the GOOD, now is the time to take action in either your personal OR professional capacity and make sure YOUR voice is as clear as the Tea party folks were last summer.

1) CALL!

Following the lead of our national partners, we are urging Texans to call Congress every day until they get the job done!

Specifically, call your House member (Visit www.congress.org to find out who represents you)

Call Toll Free: 1-800-828-0498 (ask to be connected to the U.S. Representative’s office)

The message to the House:

1. Failure to pass real comprehensive health reform is not acceptable!
2. Pass the Senate Bill and we will stand by you.  Let us know how we can help.
3. We support your seeking “fixes” to the Senate bill through Budget Reconciliation, but do not let reform die!

Call the White House, too!
Although the primary target is the House, it is important that the Administration also hears supportive messages. You can do this by calling the White House comments line at 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111. Please be aware that wait times may be long. You can also send an electronic message

2) WRITE!!

We encourage your organization to sign on to this letter to Members of Congress by Families USA using their online form

3) RALLY!!!

In Austin, MoveOn.org has scheduled a rally for Tuesday, January 26th at the Texas Capitol.  Click here for more information and to RSVP

South Gate of the State Capitol, 11th and Congress (Map)
Austin, TX 78701
Tuesday, January 26th, 12:00 PM

If you know of other health reform events happening in Texas, please share it with us so we can post it on our calendar.  We will forward more updates on actions in Texas as we receive them.

In Massachusetts, 98% of the people already have good insurance, and insurers can’t deny people based on pre-existing conditions.  It’s time the rest of the United States had the same access to good, affordable care.  Here in Texas, 6.1 million of us have no insurance, and one in 3 working-age adults and one in 5 children are uninsured.

We need real leadership from the President and Congress to get the job done, and pass reform to make decent, affordable health care available for every American.

This week the Texas Legislature took its first steps to help Texas prepare for implementation with the naming of House and Senate committees to monitor national health reform.

Speaker Straus named a 15-member House Select Committee on Federal Legislation. The committee’s work will include, “monitoring Congress’s health care reform efforts and their potential impact on the state’s health care system, health insurance regulation statutes and policies, Medicaid and children’s health insurance programs, eligibility system, workforce recruitment and retention, and health care financing mechanisms.”  Rep. John Zerwas will serve as chair and Rep. Garnet Coleman as co-chair.  Speaker Straus’ press release lists the full committee membership.

Senate interim charges released this week by Lt. Governor Dewhurst included the following joint charge on health reform to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Upon passage of federal legislation relating to reform of the health care industry and health insurance industry, study the implication of such legislation on Texas, the health care industry, and public and private insurance.  Study and monitor the implementation of the insurance regulatory changes, changes to the high risk pool, and any other insurance mandates.  Study the health care policy changes and the impact to the Medicaid and CHIP programs and the state budget.  Assess the impact to all state uninsured and uncompensated care programs and county programs for the uninsured, including county property tax programs to pay for the uninsured. Make recommendations for the efficient implementation of programs.

The Texas cost estimate cited (“$20 billion…over a decade”) was drawn from an inflated agency analysis that adds mandated Medicaid expansion costs to a mixture of real and speculative non-reform Medicaid costs. The estimate projected Medicaid costs from 2014 to 2023, adding four years of Medicaid expansion to the 2010-2019 time frame for scoring reform bills. The agency also included costs to cover hundreds of thousands of Texas children eligible for Medicaid right now, but uninsured because of the crisis in Texas’ enrollment system. Covering these kids will entail real state budget costs, only avoided at present because of failed state policies. They do not belong on the national reform balance sheet. The agency also speculated the state might have to fully replace local revenues now used to fund special Medicaid hospital payments, and included those costs. Under House and Senate bills, Texas will gain $10 to $18 federal dollars for each new state dollar we must budget, a potential economic boon. But states view the coming costs of reform coverage through the lens of current hefty revenue gaps. Without short-term federal help with immediate Medicaid costs, states will be ill-prepared to handle the expanded Medicaid caseloads of health reform.