The White House
Health Care Reform Today
November 17, 1993
- Good news from American Academy of Pediatrics. At
a hearing of the Senate Labor Committee the Academy
released a report card on health care reform and rated the
various legislative proposals. President Clinton's Health
Security Act was the only proposal to receive positive
marks in all categories. Those categories included
guaranteed coverage, comprehensive benefits, promoting
healthy lifestyles and insurance market reforms.
- Their written release said: "Providing all
children and adolescents access to health care should be
the foundation upon which meaningful health care reform
will be built. Because health care reform for children is
really about giving children a chance to reach their
potential in life. The 47,000 pediatricians at the
American Academy of Pediatrics earnestly look forward to
working with the President and this committee as health
reform moves through the legislative process."
- The Health Security Act includes two new grant
programs: one to support school health education programs,
and a second to help fund school health services. Under
the Health Security Act, $50 million per year will go to
support the planning and implementation of comprehensive
school health education programs for children in
kindergarten through grade 12.
- The President's plan also provides $100 million to
fund school health services including preventive health
services, mental health and social service counseling,
substance abuse counseling, care coordination and
outreach, management of simple illnesses and injuries and
referral and follow-up for more serious conditions. These
funds will be targeted to adolescents and communities most
in need of support.
- Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said
yesterday that insurance companies have "...fueled the
explosion in health care costs by raising premiums
whenever the government tried to rein in medical
payments." Speaking at the American Council of Life
Insurance's annual meeting, Senator Mitchell said: "The
more government cuts health expenditures, the more private
providers raise their rates." And as a result, "...wages
stagnate because of cost shifting." (Reuters)