Health News: Sebelius: Health Plan Would Reduce Costs
Washington – The administration of the first health policy official on Sunday said President Barack Obama plan to create public health insurance, run the program would compete with private insurance companies and reduce costs health across the country.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that in many markets, private insurance companies are not competitors, which gives them wide latitude to premiums for customers. She said that the government has managed option, as they follow the same rules as private providers, such as requiring insurers to lower prices for existing customers.
“Most Americans understand that the choice and competition, what we want,” Ms. Sebelius said in an interview to CNN in the position of the Union. “” You can change the rules of the game “. The President does not want to eliminate private planned…. He wanted to strengthen the market.”
Ms. Sebelius comments came before an important presentation, Mr. Obama before the American Medical Association on Monday during which he plans to try to add a new impetus to the repairing of their health plans.
Mr. Obama, the supply of insurance is one of the most controversial elements of his plan. Private insurance companies have expressed their opposition to the idea that the State Plan would be an unfair advantage because of economies of scale and other factors. Some Democrats and moderate Republicans opposed the measure, which was too strong for public participation in health care.
In his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama described the steps on federal spending for health programs for the decoration of the elderly and poor, the 313 billion dollars over 10 years, for his health plan overhaul. He suggested the federal government cutting payments to hospitals about $ 200 billion over the next 10 years, for example, greater efficiency and wider coverage changes will be justified.
President over the last weeks of travel throughout the country to its health plan, which Congress hopes that the Democrats would be the end of October. House leaders last week introduced a plan in which almost all Americans health insurance and subsidies for the poorest Americans to buy. This insurance can be without them in the national currency, the government. Senate Democrats have similar laws.
Ms. Sebelius said the administration remains open to other opportunities for the public sector, competition in the market, but also against all the proposals submitted by private insurers that would mean that consumers are buying policies that private provider.
“I think it is not surprising that many insurers say:” What we really are people who do not have insurance when they buy, and they buy only from us, “she says.” The President believes that a public version, side by side – the level of the game, same rules – the choice of Americans and reduce costs for all