James Q. Lynch | Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009 10:30 am
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin praised - bragged about, perhaps - preventive health care measures approved by a Senate panel, predicting they will "transform our current sick care system into a genuine health care system."
The Affordable Health Choices Act approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is "landmark" legislation that will reduce health care costs, include a strong public option, protect individuals' choice in care and assure affordable coverage for everyone. The bill sets the standard for other congressional committees working on health care reform, Harkin said this morning.
From the Iowa Democrat's perspective, the heart of the bill is the Prevention and Public Health title.
"This legislation puts prevention and public health at the very heart of comprehensive health reform," Harkin said. "It doesn't just tinker around the edges; it changes the paradigm."
It does that by creating a federal inter-agency council to make sure wellness and prevention are a part of all federal policies "whether it is in transportation or agriculture or anything," Harkin said.
It also boosts doctor training and coverage of preventive services and eliminates co-pays and deductibles for these services to lessen the disincentive to getting immunizations, for example. It provides grants for community initiatives to support "walkable" communities, healthier schools and increased access to nutritious foods in safe environments.
"It was not enough to talk about how to extend insurance coverage and how to pay for health care," Harkin said. "It made no sense just to figure out a better way to pay the bills for a system that is broken and unsustainable.
His language in the bill puts "prevention and wellness, public health, at the very heart of comprehensive health care reform," Harkin said. "It will jumpstart America's transformation into a wellness society … preventing the chronic disease that takes such a toil on our bodies and our budgets."
Harkin conceded the committee bill is far from a done deal. With U.S. Sens. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd absent for health reasons, it will take all 58 Democrats and a couple of Republican senators to prevent a filibuster. He's confident Democrats will support bringing the bill to the floor, but so far, some of his party colleagues are reluctant to support reform measures.