Politicos react to passage of health care reform bill

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representative approved a landmark health care reform bill Saturday night by a 220-215 vote.

President Barack Obama, who went to Capitol Hill earlier Saturday to lobby moderate Democrats who were wavering, said, "I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year."

The bill will now go to the U.S. Senate.

BizTimes Milwaukee collected reactions about the legislation from Wisconsin's Congressional delegation and others. Their comments follow.

More comments from other officials may be added during the day, and readers are invited comment at the end of the blog:

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison)
"This is an historic moment for our nation. House passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, marks the first step toward ensuring health care for all Americans. I truly believe that we'll look back years from now and view the passage of this Act to be as significant as the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 and the Medicare and Medicaid Act in 1965. The bill the House passed today will cover 35 million Americans who currently have no health insurance. This legislation will end the abusive practices of the insurance companies. Your coverage will no longer be denied because of a pre-existing condition. The bill will end the despicable practice of retroactively canceling your policy at the moment you most need care. It will place caps on out-of-pocket medical expenses so that families dealing with a serious illness will no longer face the prospect of bankruptcy or financial ruin. And it will offer a multitude of other reforms to make our health care system more efficient, less costly, and more effective in preventing illness, restoring, and maintaining good health for you and you family. Health care for all is the issue that brought me into politics and has been a driving force in my work ever since. I am proud of the role that I played in crafting this groundbreaking legislation and will continue to work on improving and strengthening this measure to send the strongest bill possible to the President's desk."

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville)
"I firmly believe that this is the most consequential vote each of us will take in our service here in Congress. When you expose this bill's budget gimmicks, does it increase the debt and deficit? Yes. Will it take coverage away from seniors, raise premiums for families, and decrease health care innovation? Yes. Will it raise taxes on small businesses and workers, and cost us nearly 5.5 million jobs when our unemployment rate is 10.2 percent? Yes. Does this bill mean the government will take over running our health care system? Yes. But what is worse is this bill replaces the American Idea with a European-style social welfare state. This bill -- more than any other decision we are going to make in this body -- will lead to millions of Americans becoming dependents on the state rather than being dependent upon themselves. This is not about health care policy -- if it were, we could pass a bipartisan bill to fix what's broken in health care without breaking what's working in health care. This is about ideology. "The choice is not whether or not you're going to stick with your party leaders. The choice here is what side of history do you want to be on? Will you be on the side of history where you stick with the people and the principles that built this exceptional nation? That is the choice we face."

Derrick Plummer, Democratic Party spokesman
"It's disappointing, but not surprising that Rep. Ryan chose to stand with the insurance companies instead of Wisconsinites. Today, Rep. Ryan voted against a historic bill which will protect Wisconsinites from unfair insurance company practices and will provide coverage for millions of Americans. But standing on the side of insurance company CEOs and the far right wing or the Republican Party isn't just bad policy, it's bad politics. Rep. Ryan can be rest assured that after voting against health insurance reform today, the people of the 1st Congressional District will not be voting for Rep. Ryan next November."

Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Appleton), who is a medical doctor
"Tonight, we have taken a bold step forward towards securing the health and safety of all of our families. Working together, we are beginning to fix what is broken in our health care delivery system, guaranteeing that no family will lose their home or need to hold a bake sale just to pay for life-saving treatment. The bill we passed will immediately help senior citizens by beginning to close the Donut Hole in Medicare Part D and eliminating deductibles and co-pays for preventive services in Medicare. It will help everyone in Wisconsin by increasing the number of primary care physicians; securing continued coverage for workers who, through no fault of their own, have lost their jobs; providing immediate help for the uninsured and expanding community health centers ... As someone who has been paying medical malpractice insurance premiums for three decades, I know that we need to fix this problem and strike the right balance. This issue came up frequently in our town hall meetings this summer, and I delivered that message to my colleagues in the House. I listened, came back and helped to write a better bill."

Rep. Tom Petri (R-Fond du Lac)
"I think the vote was a tragedy. The bill, when it is finally implemented, will be a killer of jobs and of economic growth. It is going to mean our unemployment will be higher rather than lower, and I think people are going to be shocked when they learn how much more they are going to be paying in premiums for the insurance that they get - especially young people and middle-aged people. There will be real increases in the cost of health care for an awful lot of Americans. Now, I think one thing we have to remember is that this is not final passage. The bill goes to the Senate and will have to go to a conference. There are many hurdles that still have to be passed."

Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse)
"Comprehensive health care reform is long overdue because the current system is unsustainable. The Affordable Health Care for America Act not only makes health care more stable and affordable for those who already have health insurance, but it guarantees access to health insurance coverage for the uninsured, protects consumers, provides security for seniors, and reforms the way we pay for health care from one that is volume driven to one that is value driven. The health care reform bill builds on what works and fixes what doesn't, offering stability and security to families who are satisfied with their health insurance and providing choices for those who aren't, without leaving a legacy of debt to our children. Although it's not perfect, the bill is a good start. As promised, it's completely paid for. In fact, it reduces the national deficit by $109 billion over the next 10 years and will reduce the cost of care moving forward. I am proud to support the bill. Our current system pays for the number of procedures ordered instead of the quality of care provided; resulting in $700-800 billion, approximately one third of health care costs, in wasteful spending each year that doesn't help the patient. We need a value-based reimbursement system that rewards quality and cost-effectiveness. I've worked with health care providers in Wisconsin to correct the unfairness of Medicare reimbursement rates that they have been subjected to for so long. Our region is among the lowest reimbursed in the nation, forcing health care providers to shift costs to private plans, resulting in higher costs for patients. We're fixing that flawed system with this bill, through negotiations I led, to include provisions for historic payment reform that reward the value of care delivered instead of the quantity of care provided. This bill will lead to a more cost effective way to pay for and deliver health care in our country and lower costs in the long run, making health care more affordable for all Americans. I have been assured by Mayo Clinic, Gunderson Lutheran and other health care providers that they will continue to work with me and other Members of both the House and Senate to achieve a final product that moves Medicare toward a model that rewards value. They understand that more of the same is not an acceptable option."

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee)
"With the passage of the House version of health insurance reform legislation, we recognize the government has a moral responsibility to make sure its citizens have access to quality and affordable health care. The health of a country's population is absolutely critical to its productivity, and it's about time that the United States got in the game. In my district, the Affordable Health Care for America Act will improve employer-based coverage for 354,000 residents, and provide credits to help pay for coverage to up to 192,000 households. This bill will improve Medicare for 87,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription drug donut hole for 6,200 seniors. It will allow 14,600 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 12,300 small businesses. This legislation will create a right to health care that many Americans have never had before, but it also creates a responsibility that all Americans get insurance so that everyone has some skin in the game. At some point, everyone in America accesses the health care system, and whether or not they have insurance, that care is not free. This bill brings 96 percent of Americans into the health care system - 36 million additional people. This is nothing short of transformational."

Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls)
"The U.S. Constitution declares 'we the people,' not 'we the government.' Yet, with tonight's late night passage of H.R. 3962, the House voted in favor of a government takeover of health care that will raise taxes, cut health care services, and perhaps most alarming, set our nation on a dangerous path in which the government encroaches on our lives even more. In the last few days, we've learned the government couldn't foresee the real cost of Cash for Clunkers and the stimulus package did little to stimulate job growth - and now, the same leaders who brought us these programs are taking over health care with more red tape, increased taxes and additional mandates. Like these programs, with health care, we don't know when the spending will end or how high the final costs will go beyond the estimates. Health care needs to be reformed in our country, but Speaker Pelosi's 2,000 page health care overhaul bill is the wrong way to do it. H.R. 3962 is the wrong prescription for America. This bill makes care more expensive and less available, while hurting Wisconsinites and harming Wisconsin businesses. This legislation chips away at the independence our Founding Fathers fought for, and replaces it with citizens being dependent on their government for care. I hope Senators Kohl and Feingold have a better understanding of the principles of democracy when they consider health care legislation on the Senate floor."

Susan Eckerly, senior vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
"Small business owners are outraged that their elected representatives voted to pass a health care bill that fails to lower costs, increase choice and provide real competition for America's small businesses. Instead, this bill will actually make things worse, not better. With unemployment at a 26-year high, the punitive employer mandates and atrocious new taxes will force small business owners to eliminate jobs and freeze expansion plans at a time when our nation's economy needs small business to thrive. There is no question that this bill will have devastating consequences for small business owners, their employees and the country's economic recovery. As we have said since its original introduction, H.R. 3962 is not the kind of reform America's small businesses need or want. Small businesses have long supported reform that provides more affordable and accessible healthcare options for them and their workers. Instead of listening to small businesses, the House passed a bill that will actually make things worse for small firms. Punishing small employers with employer mandates, payroll taxes and a new government-run program paid for on the backs of small businesses, will not fix our broken healthcare system. H.R. 3962 represents a failed opportunity to help small business owners with their No. 1 problem - skyrocketing health care costs. As the health care debate moves to the Senate floor, NFIB hopes senators will consider legislation that actually makes addressing the needs of small businesses a top priority. This begins with enacting responsible insurance market reforms and increasing competition in the small group and individual private market by creating an exchange modeled on the SHOP Act. It means allowing national benefit plans to be purchased across state lines - something long supported by small business. And, it means making certain that they do so in a way that doesn't increase the cost of doing business for our small businesses. We have said repeatedly that we remain committed to trying to support reform efforts that will provide more affordable and accessible healthcare options for small employers and their workers. No one needs reform more."

Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
"With the passage of H.R. 3962, the health care bill, the House missed a significant opportunity to advance reasonable and meaningful health reform that fundamentally changes how the health care system operates and changes the overall upward trajectory in spending. American employers and employees want an improvement in the nation's health care system, not an unsustainable, unaffordable overhaul. Friday's news that unemployment has reached double digits for the first time in 26 years should have been a wake-up call for those considering job-stifling tax increases and employer mandates included in the House health care bill. Expanding coverage is an imperative; it is also imperative that the nation is moving on a credible and sustainable fiscal path. Unfortunately, in addition to the massive new tax burdens on individuals and small business owners, the health care reform bill just passed by the House of Representatives fails the crucial test of reducing the soaring cost of health coverage for businesses or individuals. We urge the Senate to listen to the American people and reject the House's partisan approach to health care."

Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin
"It is very rare that a vote can be called 'historic,' but the vote Saturday night certainly was. Despite health care reform efforts that go all the way back to Theodore Roosevelt, this is the first time that any comprehensive health care reform bill has ever been passed by either house of Congress. By a narrow margin that would have been shifted by a change in 3 votes, Congress has taken a great step for the people of Wisconsin in passing the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Those who voted yes proved they were on the side of the American people and not the big insurance companies and special interests that have been working overtime to try and kill meaningful health care reform. Because of the strong support from members of the Wisconsin Congressional delegation to do what is right for their constituents, we can look forward to having more affordable health coverage with good, comprehensive benefits, and true choice and competition in the health insurance marketplace."

Erin Musgrave, Small Business Majority
"The passage today of H.R. 3962 by the US House of Representatives was historic. We are finally within reach of effecting real change-change that has been hard fought, is long overdue and essential to small businesses' survival. Providing America's 28 million small business owners with high-quality, affordable healthcare got one huge step closer to becoming a reality today. Small business owners have been mired in a healthcare system that burdens them with inordinate costs, threatens their competitiveness and discourages entrepreneurship. Economic research we released in June shows that without healthcare reform, small business owners will pay nearly $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years to provide health insurance for their employees. Clearly, the cost of doing nothing is too high, and failing to pass healthcare reform legislation this year is unacceptable. We're pleased to see adjustments to the bill that will benefit small businesses in particular. These include short-term relief through a high-risk pool set to start in 2010, requiring insurers to justify premium increases to discourage price gouging, a requirement that health plans spend at least 85 percent of premium dollars on medical care and individual plans available in the exchange that would save the 22 million self-employed 25 percent on their premiums in 2016. These provisions, along with tax credits, a robust national exchange and strong market reform-specifically the elimination of preexisting condition rules-will go a long way toward getting small businesses the relief they desperately need. With that said, there's still more work to do. As we await the final Senate bill, it is imperative that all stakeholders remain constructively engaged and focused on enacting comprehensive healthcare reform this year. There are good provisions in the Senate bill that can be merged with H.R. 3962 to improve the final bill-specifically additional measures to lower costs. Today was a good day for small business and America, and we must maintain this momentum if we are to succeed. We've come too far to stop now."

Robert Nesse, M.D., president and CEO, Franciscan Skemp Healthcare (La Crosse), Mayo Health System
"The status quo is not acceptable. What we see in health care right now in the United States is tremendous amounts of duplication of services that are not necessary. About 30 percent of the money we spend on health care could be saved if we were all practicing at the best standards of quality and efficiency. The House bill's provision calling for an Institute of Medicine study and recommendations will move us in the right direction. I look forward to continue working with Congressman Kind to achieve a final product that moves Medicare toward a model that rewards value."

David Newby, president of Wisconsin AFL-CIO
"When the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, working families found out who their real friends are, and Rep. Moore is at the top of the list. Residents of the fourth congressional district can be proud that Rep. Moore cast one of the deciding votes to put us closer than we have been in the last 60 years to achieving real health insurance reform. Rep. Moore has been a champion for health care reform. In voting for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, Rep. Moore stood up to the insurance company fat cats who have fought so hard to maintain the status quo. She said 'no' to insurance company denials and discriminations due to pre-existing conditions. She said 'no' to the insurance company stranglehold on 94 percent of the markets and told insurance companies they now have to compete. Rep. Moore said ‘yes' to fairness, competition, security and stability in our health care system. She voted for a plan that provides health insurance to 96 percent of Americans, pays for itself, and reduces the deficit. Saturday's vote was a rare vote of conscience that distinguished which members of Congress truly represent the will of the people. We thank Rep. Moore for standing with the working men and women who sent her to Washington and we will honor her commitment by continuing to stand with her. It is very exciting that we are so close to winning genuine health insurance reform and we will redouble our efforts to finish the job."

Barry Rand, CEO of AARP
"AARP is pleased that the House has passed the Affordable Health Care for American Act. This bill meets our goals of improving Medicare's benefits and making critical health insurance market reforms that make coverage more affordable. Our nation is now closer than ever to a health care system that actually works for all Americans. For too long, insurance companies have taken advantage of discriminatory practices to cherry pick the most profitable customers. And for too long, the high costs of prescription drugs have forced seniors to choose between their medications and other necessities. We must fix this broken, inequitable system. This legislation protects Medicare and ensures that it will be there for today's seniors and for the future generations. The bill makes prescription drugs more affordable for people in Medicare by closing the program's dangerous gap in drug coverage and allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. It adds cost-free preventive services like cancer screenings and cracks down on waste and fraud to protect and strengthen traditional Medicare benefits. In addition, the legislation provides benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program. For all Americans, especially those age 50 to 64 who often struggle to find affordable insurance, this plan strictly limits how much more insurance companies can charge based on age, and stops insurers from denying coverage based on a person's health history or gender. For those who still cannot find affordable coverage on their own, this bill offers help so they can purchase insurance. We thank those representatives who voted for this landmark legislation, and we urge those members who did not support health care reform tonight to reconsider the needs of their constituents when this issue returns to the House for a final vote."

J. James Rohack, M.D., president of the American Medical Association
"The AMA hails the passage of the House health reform bill, which will help improve the health system for patients and physicians and calls for swift passage of H.R. 3961 to secure the stability of the Medicare program. Passage of the House health reform bill is a big step forward as we work for comprehensive health reform this year. The AMA will continue its work with Congress and the administration to strengthen and improve health reform legislation as the process continues for patients and physicians. The bill will significantly expand health insurance coverage to Americans; empower patient and physician decision making; institute meaningful insurance market reforms; make substantial investments in quality; institute prevention and wellness initiatives; provide incentives to states that adopt certificate of merit and/or early offer liability reforms, and reduce administrative burdens. As Congress considers new coverage commitments to the American people through health reform, it must ensure that commitments already made are fulfilled through passage of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 3961). This bill will permanently repeal the broken physician payment formula and preserve access to care for seniors, baby boomers and military families."