Health Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Reps. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), Henry Waxman (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA), the chairmen of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Education and Labor Committees, joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer at a meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss their efforts to pass health care reform legislation this year. After the meeting, the chairmen released the following statement: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, today lauded the Senate’s confirmation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Miller said today’s action further strengthens prospects for meeting President Obama’s goal of enacting comprehensive health care reforms this year.

The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on Thursday, April 23 to examine various health care reform proposals that will guarantee quality and affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans.

WASHINGTON, DC – Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) met today with the chairmen of the three committees working to develop health care reform legislation in the House - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (CA), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (NY), and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (CA) – and other health care leaders to discuss the reform initiative. Hoyer and the three chairmen issued the following statement after the meeting:

“We may have three Committees with jurisdiction over health care in the House of Representatives, but we speak with one voice.  Reforming America’s health care system to control costs and ensure that everyone has affordable care that meets their needs is central to long-term economic recovery and growth.  We are committed to working together to advance health reform legislation that meets the objectives laid out by President Obama. Today’s meeting was very productive as we continue to move forward in a focused and coordinated way to improve health care for all Americans. ”

The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, April 23 to examine various health care reform proposals that will guarantee quality and affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans.

WHAT:          
Hearing on, “Ways to Reduce the Cost of Health Insurance for Employers, Employees and their Families”

WHO:            
Karen Davenport, director of health policy, Center for American Progress
David Himmelstein, associate professor of medicine, Harvard University
Michael Langan, principal, Towers Perrin
William Oemichen, president and CEO, Cooperative Network, Madison, Wisc.
Ron Pollack, executive director, FamiliesUSA
Janet Trautwein, executive vice president and CEO, National Association of Health Underwriters
William Vaughan, senior health policy analyst, Consumers Union

WHEN:         
Thursday, April 23, 2009
10:30 a.m., EDT
                        
WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

 

E.J. Dionne had a column in yesterday's Washington Post outlining why "this is the year Congress will finally give every American access to health insurance." He highlights the efforts of legislators who "have quietly been preparing the ground for reform since the Democrats took over two years ago. And the competing interest groups seem more inclined to get what they can out of reform than to stop the enterprise altogether."

Mr. Dionne notes the importance of the House in passing comprehensive health care reform and how "Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), one of the House's resident health-care mavens, has been working closely with two other committee chairs, Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.)."

To show how committed they are to working together toward a common solution, Reps. Miller, Rangel and Waxman wrote a letter to President Obama in early March saying, "In order to achieve our shared goal of enacting health reform this year, we will coordinate our committee consideration so that action on the House floor can occur before the August recess."

We recommend you read Mr. Dionne's entire article.

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today Chairmen Henry A. Waxman, Charles B. Rangel, and George Miller sent a letter to President Obama regarding their commitment to work together to pass national health reform.  The text of the letter follows: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – While most Americans get health care coverage from their job, rising costs are forcing more employers to drop coverage or shift costs onto their workers, witnesses told the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee today. 

The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine ways to increase health care insurance coverage for Americans through their employer. While nearly 47 million Americans currently have no health insurance at all, more than 27 million of those uninsured have jobs.

On Tuesday, March 10, the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine ways to increase health care insurance coverage for Americans through their employer. Watch live here » While nearly 47 million Americans currently have no health insurance at all, more than 27 million of those uninsured have jobs.

WHAT:          
Hearing on “Strengthening Employer-Sponsored Health Care”
 
WHO:            
Mark Derbyshire, small employer, Aberdeen, Maryland
Bruce Pyenson, principal and consulting actuary, Milliman Inc.
John Sheridan, CEO, Cooper University Hospital
Kenneth Thorpe, chair of the health policy and management department, Emory University
E. Neil Trautwein, vice president and employee benefits counsel, National Retail Federation
Jim Winkler, health management practice leader, Hewitt Associates
                       
WHEN:          
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
10:30 a.m. ET

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after attending the White House Summit on Health Care.

“Today President Obama not only took a very productive first step toward putting us on the path to meaningful health care reform, but he began an inclusive process by bringing all stakeholders to the table. He’s being honest about the reasons we’re in this mess – and that reforming health care is a fiscal and economic necessity. As we move forward, I hope all players involved follow his lead by putting good policies above politics.

Click here to read the guidance released by the IRS on March 31, 2009 (PDF) »

Summary:  Recession-related job losses are threatening health coverage for many families. To help workers maintain their health coverage while they are between jobs, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides a 65% reduction in the premiums payable by involuntarily terminated workers and their families for health care continuation coverage under COBRA. This premium reduction will last for up to 9 months.  Workers who have been involuntarily terminated during the period from September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009 and their families are eligible. This premium reduction also applies to health care continuation coverage that may be required by states for insurance policies sponsored by small employers (so called state mini-COBRAs) and public employees.  This provision will help 7 million people maintain their health insurance by providing a vital bridge for families when workers have been forced out of their jobs as a result of the recession.

Chairman George Miller has been invited to speak at a panel on health care at President Obama’s White House summit on fiscal responsibility. The panel also includes Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, among others.

“Passing the President’s economic recovery plan was only the first step in our efforts to restore our nation’s economic and fiscal health,” said Miller. “Eight years of reckless fiscal policies and the ongoing economic crisis have left our country in a sea of red ink. President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have made it clear that they are committed to using the resources of the federal government to rescue our economy but that they also are committed to operating our government in a fiscally responsible manner. Whether it is our health care system, our tax policy, or other issues, I look forward to working with the president and the speaker to make our nation more efficient while raising the quality of services Americans receive. Doing so will strengthen our middle class and our nation."

Improving workers’ access to quality, affordable health care is a top priority for the Education and Labor Committee in the 111th Congress. As chairman of the committee, Miller shares jurisdiction on health care reform with the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees.

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DETAILS:

WHAT: Chairman Miller to Speak on Health Care Panel at White House Fiscal Responsibility Summit
WHEN: Today, beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern

WASHINGTON – As part of legislation to rescue the American economy, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved measures to expand access to affordable health care coverage for workers who lose their jobs as a result of the recession by a vote of 244 to 188. The Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation estimate that the package would help 8.2 million people keep health care coverage for themselves and their families.