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Published November 03, 2009 10:53 am - This week the U.S. House of Representatives will consider a health care bill that could enact significant changes. Key week for health insurance bill By BURTON SPEAKMAN Glasgow Daily Times GLASGOW — This week the U.S. House of Representatives will consider a health care bill that could enact significant changes.
Glasgow’s local representative Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, has stated that in its current incarnation he will not support the health care bill that is being presented this week. The 10-year, $1.2 trillion bill would extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans with a new requirement that almost everyone get insured, and give subsidies to help lower-income people afford plans. Businesses would be required to cover their employees, and insurance companies would no longer be able to turn people away because of their health status. The biggest issue for the bill is that it contains a public option for health care insurance, Guthrie said. The public option is something that the Republican members of Congress are simply not willing to consider. “I truly believe if we have a public option then within 10 years or maybe less we’ll have a single-payer system,” he said. In addition, 85 percent of the public has health insurance, Guthrie said. If this bill passes, it would cause increases in the rates of everyone who already has health insurance. Another problem is the way it has been proposed to pay for the bill, he said. “They’ve said they plan to take half a trillion dollars from Medicare, although they are planning on spreading it out over 10 years,” Guthrie said. The claim is that this money can be removed without hurting benefits, he said. If that’s true then the money should be used to help those with Medicare. There is a need to change the insurance system, but there are better methods to use, Guthrie said. He suggests allowing companies pool together to allow them to negotiate better insurance rates, something that is currently illegal, he said. The bill as written also pushes a “big unfunded mandate onto states” by increasing the state payments for Medicaid, Guthrie said. Although the changes are spread out, the decision occurs at a time when state budgets are stretched thin and schools, universities and services are currently fighting for funds, he said. “An auto dealership with 10 employees may not be able to afford insurance, but I think we should allow them to work with 100 dealerships with 10 employees,” Guthrie said. The larger numbers would allow the companies to negotiate better rates, he said. 
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