Mike Enzi on the Health Care Debate

Wyoming residents, concerned with rising health care costs in the midst of a shaky economy, are turning to lawmakers for relief. As the most senior Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Mike Enzi sits squarely at the center of health reform. We asked the third-term senator from Wyoming how he plans to relieve costs and improve access for all Americans.

Regarding healthcare, you introduced your 10 Steps to Reform Health Care plan in 2007. How do you see your goals being adopted by the Senate? What among those steps do you consider the most critical for Wyoming?

As the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, making health care more affordable and accessible is one of the most important things I work on every day. The goal of the Ten Steps legislation is to ensure every American has access to affordable, quality health insurance. I am still working to reach this goal, as are many of my colleagues in the Senate. Many of the reforms included in Ten Steps are very applicable to today’s debate. While I believe all of the steps are critical to Wyoming, one step is particularly critical, and that is step nine. Step nine is centered on increasing access to primary care in rural and frontier areas. I am very pleased to say many of the provisions included in this step were signed into law last year with the passage of the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2008.

President Barack Obama has made health care reform a top priority, and your position on the Senate Finance committee and the Senate HELP committee puts you at the center of the issue. What do you hope the President and Congress will address first?

Making sure every American has access to affordable, quality health care is one of my top priorities. To make this vision a reality, I support changes to the current insurance market rules recognizing that the current market does not work for many consumers. I support fundamental changes that would prevent insurance companies from denying access to anyone needing health insurance coverage. Additionally, any health care reform proposal must focus on decreasing the cost of health insurance coverage. At the same time, Congress must be careful not to pull the rug out from under those who like the insurance they have now.

The economic landscape has changed considerably in the past two years. Job losses have stripped Wyomingites of health insurance, and individuals have less disposable income to purchase policies on their own. Wyoming may see more people added to the unemployment rolls. What measures do you support that may ameliorate this problem? Have new economic realities changed any of the ten steps?

The economic realities this country is facing make the need for health care reform even more urgent. I have spoken with many people in Wyoming who are afraid if they lose their job they will lose their health care. Unfortunately these fears are grounded in reality. The current health insurance system and the tax code both favor employer-sponsored health insurance. This tax policy makes it very favorable for individuals to get their health benefits through their employers and consequently has disadvantaged individuals that get coverage through the individual market. This is not good policy, and the first three steps of Ten Steps are designed to even out this tax disparity. Once these inequities are corrected and insurance market reforms are implemented, it will be easier for all Americans to afford to purchase and keep health insurance regardless of whether or not they have a job.

The population in Wyoming, like the rest of the country, is aging. What legislation or policies do you support that would affect this growing group?

I believe seniors and others with long-term care needs should have more options for receiving their care. When speaking with seniors and those with long-term care needs, one thing I hear often is that they would rather stay in their homes than live in a nursing home or other institution. We should give more patients the option of staying in their homes and communities. I am looking for creative solutions to enable people to live in their own homes and receive the care they need. I will fight any proposal that suggests rationing health care, particularly for seniors. Longer waiting times for imaging, surgery or treatment is a form of rationing.