Keep the ball rolling

October 23, 2009  |  Time Argus

As a member of Vermont Interfaith Action, part of the PICO National Network, an alliance of 1,000 congregations nationwide, I have been actively involved in the national health care debate for more than half a year. My education has mainly come from the conversations I have had with friends, family members, fellow parishioners at Christ Church Episcopal in Montpelier, and fellow volunteer advocates from around the country. I have heard many stories about financial stresses faced by families as they try to pay for health insurance, and the costs of care not covered by insurance. People have gone without needed care, or medications, and have lived in fear of the lost job, the unexpected medical emergency, or the onset of serious illness. The concerns people raise are shared by families from all political stripes and backgrounds.

We at Vermont Interfaith Action firmly believe that, in order for health reform to succeed, so that people receive care and do not live in fear, coverage must be truly affordable for families. And amidst an increasingly ideological debate, we also believe that families of all political orientations will support reform if it makes their insurance more affordable.

As legislation continues to make its way through Congress, four key areas still need to be addressed:

Subsidies to low- and moderate-income families should be increased so that no family is expected to pay more than they can afford on premiums;

Out-of-pocket expenses for families should be capped along a sliding scale that keeps families from being underinsured; the value of the plans offered to families should be increased in order to ensure lower cost-sharing for families; and the age rating should be limited to 2 to1 to guarantee that older adults are not charged any more than twice what younger adults pay for premiums.

The current bills in the U.S. House and Senate do make important changes to the healt care system, addressing denial of coverage based on pre-existing condition, expanding Medicaid, and setting some cost caps on premiums and out of pocket expenses for people at or below 400 percent of poverty. We urge Congress to keep the ball rolling, and to keep its eyes on the prize of affordability. Without it, many American families will still have to opt out of needed health care, face unmanageable health care costs, or live in fear that they will not be able to afford the health care they or their families need when they are in crisis.

Susan Reid

Montpelier