Congress Explores Bipartisan Health Care Fix

WASHINGTON - Rising healthcare insurance premiums are drawing the concern of federal lawmakers.

On a call with reporters on Tuesday, Rep. Tom Reed (R-Croning) pushed what he called a bipartisan fix to the problem. Alongside the Problem Solvers' Caucus, which he co-chairs, the congressman backed a proposal aimed at stabilizing the public insurance marketplace.

"Obamacare was being fully implemented, and costs were continuing to rise and go through the roof," he said.

The plan includes premium support, as well as the implementation of an "Innovation Fund" that states can access to mitigate the risk associated with people who suffer from costly, chronic conditions.

"That proposal in my opinion would have headed off a tremendous amount of these insurance premiums we're seeing come down the pipeline," he said.

According to Reed, Congress still has much work ahead of it to address the root cause of skyrocketing premiums.

"With Obamacare, we got to mandating insurance coverage and dealt with some positive reforms when it comes to pre-existing conditions on health insurance coverage, but we never got to the root cost equation that is driving healthcare costs through the roof," he said.

He pointed to the work of the Diabetes Caucus as a model for reducing costs by focusing policies on maintenance and preventative care, and easing prescription drug costs.

The use of hospice and palliative care at end of life must be addressed, he said.

"If you look at the healthcare dollar, that's where a tremendous amount of it goes, and there's not a long life to it," he said, citing reports that lives are being extended by the care and costs reduced.

The congressman stated that the bill goes beyond simply asking doctors, drug makers and insurers to self-police their activities.

"We're asking not just the doctors, but the patients to be involved in a more transparent marketplace, where they have the information to ask the right questions of doctors, carriers and insurance companies," he said. "It's about using market forces to drive costs down."

That means allowing insurance purchasers the ability to compare plans and negotiate premiums, deductibles and see how costs correlate to their payments.

Reed also told reporters that he backs plans being pushed by Senate Democrats like Kirsten Gillibrand to ease the transportation of cheaper Canadian prescription drugs into the American Market, but insisted that drugs meet strict standards and any international trade between the countries be on a plain of equal tariffs.

The congressman said that his ideal model of healthcare would be, "Healthcare that goes a long way in mitigating costs, impacts quality of life, and rewards not just the quantity of healthcare in America, but more importantly the quality and efficiency that healthcare has delivered," he concluded.