Health Care Policy

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Introduction

Although health care reform is in the papers and on TV every day, clear, accurate information on what is and is not being considered may be difficult to come by. It's even harder for residents -- our work schedules make it challenging to stay in the loop with a situation that seems to changing by the hour. When it comes to health care, there's also a lot of misinformation and confusion -- and some of it is being deliberately generated by those who continue to profit financially or politically from keeping our broken system exactly the way it is.

CIR has been active in the fight to accomplish real reform that makes puts quality, affordable health care within reach of our patients. CIR's Executive Committee and staff have prepared the following resources on what policies and proposals are the necessary ingrendients for any reform that lowers costs, increases quality, and expands access to every American.


CIR Joins Other Organizations to Fight for Parity in Medicaid Reimbursement Rates

On January 12, 2010, the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare joined a broad coalition of health care and HIV/AIDS advocates, physicians, nurses, health care providers, hospitals, labor unions, and community activists to sign a letter urging Congressional leaders now negotiating the final health care reform legislation to include provisions from the House bill that would bring primary care reimbursement rates under Medicaid into partity with Medicare rates for the same services within four years.  118 organizations in total signed the letter, which was delivered on Tuesday, January 12.


» Read the press release and letter


CIR and HR 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Executive Committee of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare has not yet taken a formal stance on HR 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act currently under consideration in the United States Senate.

For those looking for more information on the implications of that piece of legislation, CIR, as an affiliate of SEIU, recommends the open letter from President Andy Stern to all SEIU members, entitled "Where Do We Go from Here?"

>> Read Andy Stern's open letter


CIR Joins Other Physicians, Health Care Providers and Advocates to Endorse HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act

The Executive Committee of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare formally endorsed HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, an historic and comprehensive health care reform bill which successfully passed the House of Representatives on November 7, 2009.

CIR has evaluated this year’s reform legislative proposals by focusing our attention on four key areas in order to determine whether the bill represented the best interests of our members and the patients we serve.

» Read more

We Stand United: Primary Care & Specialty Physicians for Health Care Reform

As leaders of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare and physicians in training, we view health reform legislation as essential to achieving social justice and strengthening our failing economy. We also look forward to the day when we can practice medicine in an environment where our first and only concern is to provide appropriate, quality care for our patients. But merely ensuring access to care is not enough. We believe reforming the health care delivery system , including the mechanisms by which health care is paid for, is essential to providing quality and cost-effective care for all.

 Read the full Unity Statement by the CIR Executive Committee


Other Resources on Health Care Reform

For those looking to do their own in-depth research about the proposed legislation, we recommend the following:

Kaiser Family Foundation Side-by-Side Comparison
This interactive side-by-side compares the leading comprehensive reform proposals across a number of key characteristics and plan components. Included in this side-by-side are proposals for moving toward universal coverage that have been put forward by the President and Members of Congress. 

Kaiser Family Foundation Glossary of Health Care Terms
This glossary is intended to serve as a resource for understanding the concepts included in health reform proposals. It provides simple and straightforward definitions of key terms that will likely be part of the health reform debate.

Seniors to Seniors
A coalition of advocacy groups, including AARP, Alliance for Retired Americans, Families USA, Labor and many, many others have produced this new Web site and video series to help filter through the clutter and the hype to educate seniors about how health reform can help keep doctors in Medicare, stop physician payment cuts, improve long-term care choices, keep Medicare affordable, and close the prescription drug "doughnut hole."

What Do We Mean by Affordability?

For American families, the status quo is unacceptable.  Even Americans with good insurance are finding that they are paying more and more out-of-pocket for premiums, deductibles, and co-payments.  Reform would be meaningless if working people can't afford to purchase coverage or can't afford the care they need once they are covered.  

» Read more

Medical Malpractice and Health Care Reform

In the debate over health care reform, the subject of medical malpractice reform has been hotly contested.  CIR's Executive Committee has prepared this position paper to discuss two critical – and very much linked – priorities when considering solutions to this complex problem. 

» Read more

What Is the Public Health Insurance Option?

This is currently one of the main fault lines in the debate on health care. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards all endorsed the principle of having a public plan, similar to Medicare, which would compete with private insurance.  But what is it, and how would it work?

» Read more

Healthcare Equality: Reducing Disparities in Care

From the polling we've conducted of CIR members, we've learned that you are deeply concerned with disparities in care based on race or socio-economic conditions. We have worked for the past six months with The Healthcare Equality Project, part of SEIU's Change That Works campaign, on making sure that health care reform doesn't just focus on extending coverage to all, but also works to eradicate disparities in care. Here are five things you need to know about healthcare equality

» Read more