Health Care & Prescription Drugs News

WASHINGTON, June 24 – The non-partisan consumer and government watchdog, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, threw its weight behind the recent House of Representatives health reform package today, while urging stronger action to rein in the rising cost of care for families and businesses.

"With health care costs expected to double if reform fails, America can't afford the usual political games. We call on members of all political parties to seize this historic moment and pass the strongest possible health reform now," said U.S. PIRG's Federal Health Care Advocate, Larry McNeely.

In its letter addressed to Chairmen George Miller (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), and Charles Rangel (D-NY), U.S. PIRG praised the payment reforms and insurance market reforms already in the bill, while pressing for two key additions to the bill:

• The MedPAC Reform Act sponsored by Democrat Jim Cooper of Tennessee that would empower the non-partisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to set payment rates and drive cost-saving payment and delivery reforms within Medicare

• The Health Care Paperwork and Fraud Prevention Act sponsored by Republican Mac Thornberry of Texas would set up a separate process to simplify the billing paperwork burdens that increase costs and lead to less physician time with patients.

"The rising cost of health care has put our country on a completely unsustainable path. Our proposed additions to the House bill would ensure our costly administrative and payment systems are fixed for the long haul," McNeely added. 

This January, U.S. PIRG's report Health Care in Crisis, projected that family health policies could cost as much as $24,691 by 2016. Since then, the group's health care work has spotlighted the issue of rising health care costs.

U.S. PIRG's national grassroots network, well-known for its three decades of advocacy around toy safety, ethics reform, and other consumer and good government issues, is fully mobilized this summer for the upcoming health care debate. U.S. PIRG's state affiliates are already focused on the debate, and a door-to-door canvass – which will reach over 300,000 people – will launch in 27 cities at the beginning of July.

- # # # -

U.S. PIRG, federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, is a  non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization. For more information visit http://www.uspirg.org.
For more on the health care reform program, Making Health Care Work, click here