March 5, 2010

'TRUE' HEALTH CARE REFORMS IN HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

by CBIA

The Human Services Committee is giving strong consideration to two measures that will go a long way toward establishing true health care reform in Connecticut— instead of the false reform of imposing a government-run system.

Avoiding the debate over government-run health care that has dominated state and federal politics, the Human Services Committee is choosing to focus instead on bills that will actually lower health care costs and improve health care quality.

Reducing costs and improving quality are the ways to truly enable more people to access health care, not through billion- and trillion-dollar government schemes.

HB 5354 would use federal funds to create incentives for hospitals to institute a system of electronic medical records in their facilities. By moving away from the current antiquated paper medical records system and toward a more technologically advanced system, quality will be improved with doctors gaining instantaneous access to patients' medical records.

This will reduce the frequency of adverse drug interactions and unnecessary and inappropriate tests and services. The bill would also reduce costs by creating significant efficiencies within the health care delivery system.

The Human Services Committee also considered a bill that will go a long way toward reducing the current cost shift from public sector health programs to private employers. HB 5328 would release funds that were previously earmarked for SAGA rate increases. Reducing the current cost-shift will allow private sector employers to better afford health insurance for their employees and will decrease the number of uninsured in the state.

CBIA thanks the Human Services Committee for considering these two bills and we hope that the committee approves them in an effort to enact true health care reform in Connecticut.

For more information, contact CBIA's Eric George at 860-244-1921 or eric.george@cbia.com.