Elect Ron Kind for Congress - Wisconsin Third Congressional District

The LaCrosse Tribune

- Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The timing couldn't have been better: On the day U.S. Rep. Ron Kind was to meet both with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, The Washington Post ran a front-page article praising La Crosse for its economical health care.

The Post article ends with Donald M. Berwick, president of the Massachusetts-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement, saying, If we could just become La Crosse, think of how much better off we would be.
Kind, of La Crosse, was among 23 Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is doing much of the health care reform work in the House, that met with the president at the White House.

Later, Pelosi met with members of the moderate New Democrats group at the Capitol.

Kind said both Obama and Pelosi understand health care reform depends on reducing costs.

Health care costs are rising much faster than the cost of inflation, Kind said in a telephone interview. This is the fastest-growing area of federal spending.

The Washington Post story Tuesday referred to the inequities, shortcomings, waste and even dangers in the hodgepodge of uncoordinated medical services that consume nearly one-fifth of the nation's economy.

The story by Ceci Connolly then offered a comparison between high-spending and low-spending communities, with La Crosse and Miami as examples.

Using inflation-adjusted figures, the article said Medicare spent $5,812 on the average health care beneficiary in La Crosse, compared with $16,351 in Miami. Yet the two municipalities had no difference in health status, according to the Post article.

Getting less Medicare money is not entirely without consequences, as it can profoundly affect the bottom line of health care institutions, local health care providers have said.

Kind said Obama emphasized bringing down health costs through studies that show us what works and doesn't work.

The president is hoping both the House and Senate pass health care reform bills by the end of August. Any differences between the bills then would have to be reconciled in September before final passage.

In addition, Kind is sponsoring a House bill that would provide health insurance for farmers and small businesses.

The Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP Act, would allow small business employees and self-employed people to organize through large purchasing pools that would bring down premium costs.

Kind said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., is sponsoring a companion bill in the Senate.

As for La Crosse and its low health-care costs, Kind said he will send a Dear Colleague letter with the Post story attached to other members of Congress.