Elect Ron Kind for Congress - Wisconsin Third Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind said Friday he would support a national health care reform bill now that a coalition has proposed changes to Medicare reimbursements.

"What we've been striving to do is change the way we pay for health care so that we are rewarding the quality of care as opposed to quantity," Kind, D-La Crosse, said during a teleconference with reporters. "It can be summarized in three words: value over volume."

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Kind voted against the health care bill July 17. However, he and a group called the Quality Care Coalition have come up with changes to the bill that would adjust how Medicare reimburses medical providers.

"My major concern in voting no on the bill is that we didn't do enough to transform the way health care is delivered in this country," he said. "We have to have an emphasis on quality of care as opposed to the volume of care."

The new agreement, which was reached Thursday, instructs the Institute of Medicine to consider geography, access, quality and incentives to determine Medicare reimbursement rates. The institute would have a year to make changes to the Medicare reimbursement formula.

After two years, the institute would make further recommendations to the Health and Human Services secretary. The secretary then would submit a plan to Congress. The plan would take effect Feb. 28, 2012, unless Congress passed a joint resolution to reject it.

"This is the transformative change in the way health care is delivered, which will not only improve patient care throughout the country but reduce costs," Kind said.

The agreement would establish an $8 billion fund to distribute money in 2012 and 2013 to regions that see an increase in reimbursement rates.