In the richest country on Earth, no American should die because of a lack of health insurance.  Alexi strongly supports President Obama’s landmark health insurance reform legislation that will ensure insurance companies can no longer use caps or pre-existing conditions to deny coverage to those who pay their premiums, gouge consumers, or ration care to those who offer the most profit. Small businesses will earn tax credits to provide health insurance for their employees, prescription drugs will be more affordable for seniors, and the federal deficit will be reduced by more than a trillion dollars over the next two decades.

Alexi believes we must build upon this historic bill with a renewed effort to fully protect consumers from insurance company abuses and to continue to enact policies that decrease premiums and enhance coverage for families, no matter their geography or socio-economic status.  Alexi believes that future health care reforms should bring down health care costs, protect consumers, continue to expand coverage in underserved communities and reduce the federal deficit.

Build on health care reform cost-containment strategies

The federal government spends 21 percent of its budget, $753 billion, on health insurance in the form of Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  Health care reform will play an important role in bringing down federal health care costs, slowing the growth rate of costs, and reducing the budget gap. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the heath care reform measures enacted will reduce the federal deficit by $143 billion over the first decade and is projected to continue to lower the deficit by 0.5 percent of GDP there after. But much more can be done to reduce federal deficits through health care reform.

Congress should begin by passing legislation that would require health insurance companies to provide more information to consumers on healthcare prices, empower federal regulators to sign off on premium increases, and strip insurers of their exemption from antitrust laws to allow more competition. The Affordable Care act also included a number of pilot programs designed to bring down health care costs. The most successful programs should be extended.

Expand coverage in underserved communities

The new health care law expands coverage to traditionally underserved communities by investing in community health centers. This effort will give 20 million new patients across the country access to high quality, primary care. The reform also invests in data collection and research about racial health disparity, strengthens cultural competency training among health care providers, and expands initiatives to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of health professionals. Future reforms should build on these pilot programs by investing in strategies that have proven to be successful.

Non-profit option

During the health care fight, there were multiple avenues proposed for bringing down costs, expanding coverage and lowering the deficit. Some were just window-dressing, others had real promise. One option stood out above the rest as being the most reasonable, efficient, and effective method — a non-profit health insurance option that would increase competition, reduce costs, and lower the deficit.