Keeping Our Eye on the Goal

In a commentary appearing in daily newspapers across the Bay State, AARP Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) outline why it’s important for Congress to pass meaningful health care reform now. The opinion piece has appeared, to date, in The Berkshire Eagle, The Cape Cod Times, The Lowell Sun, The Republican (Springfield), The Salem News, The Standard-Times/South Coast Today (New Bedford), The Sun Chronicle (Attleboro), and The Telegram & Gazette (Worcester).

Passing meaningful health care reform was never going to be easy. But the cost of doing nothing is no longer affordable, especially for American families. They know the system is broken, costs too much, and wastes too much. An improved system would have greater value for the money spent.

AARP and the Massachusetts Medical Society believe Congress must pass health care reform now. We’re calling on Congress to guarantee that patients have a choice of affordable insurance options and to preserve the patient’s choice of doctors—doctors who will work with patients to reach the best possible healthcare decisions.

We must keep our eye on the goal—affordable health care for all Americans. This basic need is increasingly out of reach for many. Nearly 50 million people don’t have health insurance. Millions more have insurance that doesn’t meet their needs. We need change. And we need it now, because being one serious illness away from financial ruin isn’t acceptable. All Americans deserve better.

But efforts are underway to derail reform and block progress by using myths, rumors, and scare tactics. One example: health reform will give the government the power to make life and death decisions for everyone. The fact is no one, including the government, will have the power to make these choices, no one except those who should: patients, their physicians, and their families.

None of the proposals being considered would stand between a patient and doctor or prevent a patient from choosing the best care possible. Health care reform is not about rationing; it’s about choosing one’s own doctor, always having a choice of affordable plans, and improving quality of care. It’s about preserving what’s right, and fixing what’s wrong.

Reform must begin with a new set of national standards. We must ensure that people who are sick, or who have been sick, can get and keep health insurance. All health insurers must be barred from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

We must also improve the way the health care system treats both patients and doctors. We need to change what we pay for and how we pay for it. Health insurance should pay for preventive care—the kind of care that keeps people from getting sick and keeps us out of the hospital. Physicians, not insurance companies, should make the decision as to what is the best treatment for a patient. We should also be sure that doctors who care for Medicare and Medicaid patients are paid fairly.

The cost of health insurance—for individuals, families, businesses and government must be contained. The fact is health care costs are busting budgets across the board. The longer we wait, the more expensive it will become for everyone. Without meaningful reform, premiums are expected to nearly double in the next seven years, and American families, even those with insurance, will face financial hardship.

We’re all struggling with the high costs of the current system, and we must work together to help make health care better. Both patients and doctors want reform that lowers costs, provides affordable insurance options for everyone, restores the ability of physicians to provide timely, high quality care to their patients, and encourages preventative care and promotes healthy lifestyles.

We’ve learned a lot about how to improve health care here in Massachusetts since our own reform beginning in 2006. It has taken commitment from everyone -- patients, doctors, hospitals, insurers, business and government. Achieving reform at the national level will require that same dedication. That’s why AARP and the Massachusetts Medical Society have made health care reform their top priority this year.

We’re committed to ensuring that reform guarantees stable, affordable coverage and protects patient choices. We believe that we all share responsibility to be part of the solution. With rising costs and shrinking coverage, the need for fair measures to improve health care in America has never been so urgent.

As members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation wrap up time in their districts this August listening to constituents, we remind them to keep their eye on the goal—passing meaningful health care reform when they return to Washington in September.

Deborah Banda is the state director for AARP Massachusetts, which serves more than 860,000 members age 50 and over in the commonwealth.

Mario Motta, M.D., is the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the statewide professional association for more than 21,000 physicians and medical students in the commonwealth.