U.S. House schedule for Friday, November 15, 2013: Upton's 'Keep Your Health Care Plan Act' vote today

From Majority Leader Eric Cantor....

What to watch today ... "Keep Your Health Care Plan Act" sponsored by Congressman Fred Upton will be voted on today, a bill President Barack Obama has declared he will veto if it makes its way to his desk. Points of view: Ezra Kline - Wonkblog at the Washington Post / Twitchy / Fox News / USA Today

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH

On Friday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business.
First votes expected: 10:30 - 11:15 a.m. Last votes expected: 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

One Minute Speeches

H.R. 3350 - Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013 (Closed Rule, One Hour of Debate) (Sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton / Energy and Commerce Committee / Ways and Means Committee)

Special Order Speeches

COMMITTEE ACTIVITY OF THE DAY
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing on “Our Nation of Builders: Training the Builders of the Future” (Friday, November 15th, at 9:30 a.m.)

Printable PDF

McDonnell appoints Cline on health care reform council

Del. Ben Cline (R-24th House), who represents southern Augusta County, has been appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell to his Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council.

From the Governor's office:

Governor Bob McDonnell today announced the members of his Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council. This Council will provide recommendations to the Governor towards a comprehensive strategy for implementing health reform in Virginia. The Advisory Council will go beyond federal health reform and recommend other innovative healthcare solutions that meet the needs of Virginia's citizens and government. The Advisory Council's recommendations for addressing health care access, cost and delivery in Virginia may serve as a model for other states. The recommendations of the Council will help create an improved health system that is an economic driver for Virginia while allowing for more effective and efficient delivery of high quality health care at lower cost.

Speaking about the Council's composition, Governor McDonnell remarked, "Every Virginian needs access to affordable health care. The challenge is how to provide that access in an economically responsible manner. This group of leaders will help us plan for the future of healthcare in Virginia, and the growing costs that will have a significant impact on our budget and our taxpayers unless we act proactively and wisely today. The tremendous rate of growth in Medicaid spending in Virginia, which is only going to increase due to federal health care reform, is unsustainable. I look forward to their recommendations and work in the months ahead."

Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Bill Hazel remarked, "We have assembled a dynamic group of leaders from the legislature, health care delivery, health care policy, health insurance, and the business community that will help shape the future of healthcare in Virginia. I am grateful for their time, expertise, and commitment to the task of ensuring a safe, effective, and quality healthcare delivery system while reducing costs."

The Advisory Council will establish task forces in six key areas: Medicaid Reform, Insurance Market Reform, Delivery and Payment Reform, Capacity, Technology, and Purchasers Perspective. In June, Governor McDonnell appointed Cindi Jones as the Director of the Virginia Health Reform Initiative; Jones is one of the nation's first state officials dedicated to health care reform. Additional healthcare stakeholders and business representatives will be asked to serve on these critical task forces. The Advisory Council will hold its initial meeting on August 20 and August 21, 2010 in Roanoke, Virginia.

Health care reform summit ... was anything accomplished?

The health care reform summit held Thursday in Washington made the news ... but many are asking if anything was accomplished.

From Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-6th CD):

“Today President Barack Obama sat down with a bipartisan group of House and Senate Members to discuss health care reform. I am encouraged by this meeting and hope that this signals a true turning point in the health care discussion. The American people have repeatedly called on Washington to scrap these massive health care bills in favor of a more modest approach. I have held town hall meetings, telephone town hall meetings, and I’ve received thousands of letters, phone calls and e-mails from folks all across the Sixth Congressional District and the message is simple: Washington must push the reset button on health care reform.

While American families want health care reform that will expand access and choices and decrease costs, the proposals before Congress include tax increases, Medicare cuts, job-killing mandates, and higher premiums. This latest health care bill is nothing more than the same government-run insurance, mandates and taxes the American people have overwhelmingly rejected.

Instead we must focus on strategies that help Americans obtain the best quality health care at the least cost, and ensure that the government fosters increased access to quality care based on individual choice, not by taking away choices from people on the grounds that government knows best.

My constituents have told me they overwhelmingly support proposals which allows for the purchase of health insurance across state lines, allows individuals and small businesses to join large pools to get more competitive rates, provides tort reform to cut down the high cost of defensive medicine, allows full tax deductibility of health insurance premiums, provides portability of health insurance and protection against pre-existing condition exclusions. I agree and in addition, I support health insurance tax credits for individuals and families who don’t have access to employer-based health insurance, a prohibition on pre-existing condition clauses, increasing the number of community health centers, and encouraging the use of health information technology to achieve greater efficiencies.

Our nation’s health care system needs reform. Now is the time for action. It is my hope that this Health Care Reform Summit will launch a true bipartisan health care debate. I look forward to working with others in Congress to advance the principles that we can all agree on and enacting legislation that makes health care more affordable and more accessible for all Americans.”

RPV's 2008 Legislative Policy Agenda: Health Care Reform

Looking ahead to an even better, safer, more prosperous and opportunity filled future, Virginia Republican leaders in the General Assembly are championing a forward-looking agenda for governing that builds upon their past accomplishments.

Health Care Reform

· Increasing access to health care service in underserved areas of the Commonwealth. The plan includes provisions to partner with Virginia’s higher education system to increase the number of medical residents assigned to underserved areas of Virginia, many of which are rural communities. In addition, the plan calls for continuing to increase the number of free clinics and community health centers that serve low-income and uninsured Virginians.

· Decreasing the reliance on Emergency Room facilities by encouraging the use of primary care physicians. By offering incentives to primary care physicians to increase the number of Medicaid patients served and by providing increased reimbursement rates for hospitals with primary care physician practices on facility grounds, access will be improved and the use of costly Emergency Room care reduced.

· Implementing recommendations on Medicaid reforms crafted by the Medicaid Revitalization Commission. These reforms, intended to control costs and streamline the delivery of services, include Enhanced Benefits Accounts for Medicaid recipients, Electronic Health Benefit Cards, increased use of electronic health records and the implementation of a web-based claims submission system.