[Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Message From Rep. Anna G. Eshoo

Tue Aug 4 14:41:48 PDT 2009

I don't know if you all recieved this or not, but I thought you should have the latest..
Caroline

--- On Tue, 8/4/09, ca14ima.pub at mail.house.gov <ca14ima.pub at mail.house.gov> wrote:

From: ca14ima.pub at mail.house.gov <ca14ima.pub at mail.house.gov>
Subject: Message From Rep. Anna G. Eshoo
To: carolineyacoub at att.net
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 2:11 PM

August 4, 2009

Mrs. Caroline Yacoub
323 North Murphy Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94085-4312

Dear Mrs. Yacoub,

As Congress continues to develop a healthcare reform bill, I want to give you an update on the status of legislation in the House of Representatives and make you aware of some key issues.

As I continue to work with my colleagues on the House bill, the Senate is working to craft their own legislation.  While neither body has passed a final bill, I anticipate these votes will occur in September, with the differences in the two bills being worked out in Conference before being sent to the President in the fall. 

The House legislation as written today will ensure that 97% of all Americans will have coverage under a healthcare plan that is affordable and offers quality, standard benefits. It protects choice, it rewrites the rules of the insurance industry, it encourages competition with a public option, and it assists small businesses who are struggling to cover employees with an affordable plan. 

Listed below are some of the bill's significant benefits for our Congressional District:

w Help for small businesses Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 would qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the cost of providing health insurance.  There are up to 15,000 small businesses in our District that would qualify for these credits.

w Help for seniors with drug costs in the Part D 'donut hole'  Each year, 2,700 seniors in our District hit the Medicare 'donut hole' and are forced to pay the full amount of their drug costs, despite having Part D drug coverage.  The legislation would provide them with immediate relief, cutting brand name drug costs in the donut hole by 50% and ultimately eliminating it.

w Relieving the burden of uncompensated care for hospitals and healthcare providers In 2008, healthcare providers in our District provided $46 million worth of uncompensated care.  This is care that was provided to individuals who lacked insurance coverage and were unable to pay their bills.  Under the legislation, these costs of uncompensated care would be virtually eliminated.

w Coverage of the uninsured  There are 49,000 (8%) uninsured individuals in our Congressional District. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that nationwide, 97% of all Americans will have insurance coverage when the bill takes effect.  If this benchmark is reached in our District, 29,000 people who currently do not have health insurance, will receive coverage. 

w No deficit spending Under the legislation, the cost of healthcare reform is fully paid for.   Half is paid for by making the Medicare and Medicaid programs more efficient, and half through a surtax on the income of the wealthiest households ($350,000 or more.) 93% of taxpayers in our District would not be affected. 

w Insurance Reforms The legislation bans insurance companies from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions, and from dropping those who become ill. 

The bill also contains an important provision for our District, especially Santa Cruz County where physicians who treat Medicare patients are severely underpaid.  Due to outdated maps that classify Santa Cruz County as "rural", doctors are reimbursed at a lower rate for performing the same services as their San Mateo and Santa Clara counterparts.  The provision, known as the Geographical Price Cost Index or GPCI, remedies this error and will allow Santa Cruz physicians to receive proper reimbursement and once again accept Medicare patients.

I offered an amendment, and it was accepted, to the House Energy and Commerce Committee bill to create a pathway for biosimilar drugs.  Biosimilars are new, cheaper versions of biologics already on the market and some of the most cutting-edge and life saving drugs available. While these drugs have tremendous curative results, they are also very expensive.  This provision will allow new generic versions to treat and save individuals, as well as saving the government billions of dollars and allowing innovation to flourish. 

Attached are the most common questions about healthcare reform legislation I've received from my constituents and answers to them.

If you have any thoughts or comments, please transmit them to me by email if possible. This will save time and your taxpayer dollars!

I've created an ongoing e-newsletter to keep constituents informed on a variety of congressional issues and legislation.  Many constituents tell me how much they value reading it, and if you would like to as well, you can go to my website at http://eshoo.house.gov and click on "E-Mail Sign-Up."  Your email address will never be used by anyone except my office to communicate with you, and your tax dollars will be conserved by using electronic communications rather than traditional mailings.

Sincerely, Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress

Enclosure

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