"Health Week" in Congress fails to address broader healthcare crisis
See also: Health Progress
Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has declared the week of May 8 "Health Week," yet the majority party has focused solely on legislation that will not address America's broken health care system and, in some ways, will make it worse. On Monday, the Senate briefly considered legislation on medical malpractice, and Tuesday it turned to Senator Enzi's (R-WY) bill that would, under the guise of promoting Association Health Plans (AHPs), eviscerate consumer protections in health insurance and exacerbate the problems many small employers face in providing health care coverage. These retreads of tired ideas will not fix the problems in America's health care system – including escalating costs, growing numbers of uninsured, and a system that fails to prioritize preventive care.
The crisis in American health care today is far more complex, and the enactment of actual policy prescriptions far more important to the American people than these narrow proposals on medical malpractice and AHPs. The Center for American Progress has proposed a comprehensive plan to reform America's health care system – by providing affordable coverage to all Americans, improving the value of health care coverage, emphasizing preventive care, and controlling costs. Today, nearly 46 million Americans lack health insurance, and millions more struggle to pay premiums that are growing five times faster than wages, while American businesses struggle to compete in a global marketplace while shouldering the burden of our broken health care system. We must reform our health care system – not waste time on the fake fixes being considered in the Senate this week.
See also: Health Progress