America's last substantive debate about health care reform collapsed 16 years ago amid partisan rancor, public anxiety and health-industry resistance.
America's last substantive debate about health care reform collapsed 16 years ago amid partisan rancor, public anxiety and health-industry resistance.
Yet time has only aggravated the central issues behind that debate: unacceptably high numbers of uninsured and underinsured Americans of all ages; spiraling health care costs for individuals, business and government;and weak outcomes relative to health care spending (fully 16 percent of gross domestic product this year).
As voices for Indiana's oldest and youngest citizens, AARP Indiana and the Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics share the belief that the status quo cannot hold. And together we urge Congress to pass meaningful health reform legislation yet this year.
The stakes are too high for delay.
As we write, almost 9 million children and 7 million adults ages 50-64 are uninsured. America ranks 24th in the world in infant mortality rates.
Prescription drugs remain too costly, especially for the 3.4 million seniors who fall into the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" each year. And 30 percent of people age 19-26 are uninsured as they should be transitioning from public programs or their parents' insurance into employer-based coverage. This is especially true for young people with pre-existing conditions such as Type 1 diabetes.
To be sure, Congress has acted in the past to address the health care needs of young and old -- at least in part.
* It created Medicare in 1965 (demonized at the time as a socialistic path to rationing) and added the Part D prescription drug benefit in 2003.
* Congress also created the Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997 and reauthorized it earlier this year -- with joint support from the American Academy of Pediatrics and AARP.
But too much unfinished business remains.
Children, youth and seniors alike face prohibitive cost sharing or co-payments for crucial preventive care services, including childhood immunizations and adult cancer screenings. Young and old are harmed by shameful racial disparities in health care. And pre-existing conditions -- a reality for children as well as adults -- too often exclude vulnerable populations from needed care.
Delay will only aggravate the problems that have festered too long already. The policy options are well known. The financing options are well known. Congress must act now to strengthen our health and our future by passing meaningful health care reform.
America's youngest and oldest citizens are depending on it.
Dr. Sarah Stelzner is Co-President of the Indiana Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. June Lyle is State Director of AARP Indiana. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.
