Sen. Baucus, Rep. Stark Opinion Pieces Address Efforts To Overhaul U.S. Health Care System

• Baucus: There is further work to do "to heal the nation's economy and to enable the health and financial well-being of all U.S. residents," Baucus writes in an opinion piece in The Hill. According to Baucus, the Finance Committee will spend much of the remainder of 2008 working on "how best to go about making fundamental change to an ailing health care system," among other topics. Baucus and committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on June 16 will hold a bipartisan summit at the Library of Congress titled, "Prepare for Launch: Health Reform Summit 2008." According to Baucus, the summit "will be an opportunity for senators, representatives and health policy experts to dig in to prepare for health care reform in 2009." He added that the Finance Committee will discuss state-based health care reform efforts, employer-sponsored health insurance tendencies, increasing health costs, insurance reform, public programs' role in health care and health care delivery reform. In addition, the committee will hold hearings through the spring and summer to discuss the U.S. health care system and reform proposals, "in preparation for Committee action next year." Baucus wrote that the "balance of our health care focus right now is on crafting a Medicare bill that works for America's seniors and that increases physician payments to stave off cuts that threaten to kick in on July 1" (Baucus, The Hill, 6/3).
  
  
• Stark: Successful reform of the U.S. health care system "will require negotiation and compromise from everyone," Stark writes in an opinion piece in The Hill. Stark notes that all U.S. health insurance programs have "three basic common elements": a group of defined benefits, payment methods to reimburse providers and a method of financing that includes premiums, cost-sharing and taxes paid by beneficiaries, employers and the public. According to Stark, each insurance plan "uses free-market bargaining" and must follow government or institutional regulations and price-setting. Stark writes, "Shifting more cost and responsibility to the consumer as a strategy for reform or cost-containment is useless." Stark notes that a majority of U.S. residents "share a strong hope" that the next president will address health care reform. However, "[w]e should not wait until next year to start building the base for reform," Stark writes. He adds that "profit, non-profit and public programs must work in harmony to bring about needed change." Stark concludes, "Reform must provide the right of all Americans to quality medical care; the right of every provider to reasonable (not necessarily desired) compensation; and the duty of each person to finance this program according to his or her ability to pay" (Stark, The Hill, 6/3).