Al Franken on Health Care

DFL Jr Senator (MN)

We need to go to universal health care

A single-payer system would be the most effective in terms of reducing administrative costs, and I would be thrilled to support such a system. But I believe that today’s political environment requires a creative and flexible approach to covering every American. I would require every state to cover every one of its citizens, and the federal government to provide funding to fulfill that requirement. Each individual state would be free to offer a variety of options, as long as they add up to universal coverage, giving us 51 laboratories (if you count DC) to figure out which system works best. I would add one constraint: each state must cover every child 18 and under with a single-payer system similar to Medicare. I would fight to make Medicare a true single-payer system. Right now, we overpay insurance companies, who then turn around and cherry-pick only the healthiest seniors to cover. That’s not fair and we should change it. Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, www.AlFranken.com, “Issues” , May 14, 2008

Address the quality and cost of care

Medicare should be allowed to negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies for lower prices on prescription drugs. Simple, secure, electronic medical records would cut down on errors and streamline care. We should establish safe staffing levels for nurses --when the people on the front lines of health care tell us that they need reinforcements to maintain their high standards of care, we should listen. We should pass Wellstone’s bill ensuring full mental health parity. Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, www.AlFranken.com, “Issues” , May 14, 2008

Kids without health insurance grew to 8.3 million in 2005

During the Bush administration, the number of Americans living without health insurance has grown from 39.8 million in 2000 to 46.6 million as of the most recent Census Bureau data. That includes 21.5 million people who work full time. Especially disturbing is that the number of children without health insurance actually grew to 8.3 million in 2005. Children who lack health insurance are more likely to miss school and 70% less likely to get treated for an ear infection. Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, www.AlFranken.com, “Issues” , May 14, 2008

Full funding for state-based coverage, but not single payer

A single-payer system would be the most effective in terms of reducing administrative costs. But I believe that today’s political environment requires a flexible approach to covering every American. Here’s mine:

I would require every state to cover every one of its citizens, & the federal government to provide funding to fulfill that requirement.
Each state must cover every child 18 & under with a single-payer system similar to Medicare.

Make Medicare a true single-payer system. Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, www.AlFranken.com, “Issues” , Mar 9, 2008

Universal health care as soon as possible

We need to go to universal health care as soon as possible. Health care is at the center of almost every public policy issue--from veterans’ affairs to small business to personal finances (nearly half of all bankruptcies are caused by a medical crisis in the family). Access to affordable health care should come with living in the world’s richest, most advanced nation. But during the Bush administration, the number of Americans living without health insurance has grown from 39.8 million to 46.6 Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, www.AlFranken.com, “Issues” , Mar 9, 2008

1994: Wrote spoof ads for Hillary defending health reforms

[In TV ads], Harry & Louise asked each other cleverly contrived questions about the plan and wondered aloud what it might cost them.

For the Gridiron Dinner, comedian Al Franken wrote a script.

Bill and I were seated on a sofa, examining a massive sheaf of papers.

Me: I've just read the Clinton health security plan.

Bill: Health care reform sounds like a great idea to me.

Me: Well, I know, but some of these details sure scare the heck out of me.

Bill: Like what?

Me: Like for example, it says here on page 3,764 that under the Clinton health security plan, we could get sick.

Bill: That's terrible.

Me: Well, I know. And look at this, it gets worse. On page 12,743--no, I get that wrong--on page 27,655, it says that eventually we're all going to die.

Bill: You mean after Bill & Hillary put all those bureaucrats and taxes on us, we're still going to die?

Together: There's got to be a better way.

Announcer: "Paid for by the Coalition to Scare Your Pants Off."

Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.228-229 , Nov 1, 2003

Voted NO on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts.

Proponent's Arguments for voting Yes:

[Sen. DeMint, R-SC]: The Democrats have Medicare on a course of bankruptcy. Republicans are trying to save Medicare & make sure there are options for seniors in the future. Medicare will not be there 5 or 10 years from now. Doctors will not see Medicare patients at the rate [Congress will] pay.

[Sen. Ayotte, R-NH]: We have 3 choices when it comes to addressing rising health care costs in Medicare. We can do nothing & watch the program go bankrupt in 2024. We can go forward with the President's proposal to ration care through an unelected board of 15 bureaucrats. Or we can show real leadership & strengthen the program to make it solvent for current beneficiaries, and allow future beneficiaries to make choices.

Opponent's Arguments for voting No:

[Sen. Conrad, D-ND]: In the House Republican budget plan, the first thing they do is cut $4 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years. For the wealthiest among us, they give them an additional $1 trillion in tax reductions. To offset these massive new tax cuts, they have decided to shred the social safety net. They have decided to shred Medicare. They have decided to shred program after program so they can give more tax cuts to those who are the wealthiest among us.

[Sen. Merkley, D-TK]: The Republicans chose to end Medicare as we know it. The Republican plan reopens the doughnut hole. That is the hole into which seniors fall when, after they have some assistance with the first drugs they need, they get no assistance until they reach a catastrophic level. It is in that hole that seniors have had their finances devastated. We fixed it. Republicans want to unfix it and throw seniors back into the abyss. Then, instead of guaranteeing Medicare coverage for a fixed set of benefits for every senior--as Medicare does now--the Republican plan gives seniors a coupon and says: Good luck. Go buy your insurance. If the insurance goes up, too bad.
Status: Failed 40-57

Reference: Ryan Budget Plan; Bill HCR34&SCR21 ; vote number 11-SV077 on May 25, 2011

Increase funding for occupational & physical therapy.

Franken signed Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (MARS)

Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on outpatient physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services of the type furnished by a physician or as an incident to physicians' services.

SEC. 2. OUTPATIENT THERAPY CAP REPEAL.

Section 1833 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395(l)) is amended by striking subsection (g).

[Explanatory note from Wikipedia.com "Therapy Cap"]:

In 1997 Congress established per-person Medicare spending limits, or "therapy cap" for nonhospital outpatient therapy, but responding to concerns that some people with Medicare need extensive services, it has since placed temporary moratoriums on the caps. The therapy cap is a combined $1,810 Medicare cap for physical therapy and speech language pathology, and a separate $1,810 cap for occupational therapy ($1870 for 2011). Medicare patients requiring rehabilitation from disabilities, car accidents, hip injuries, stroke, and other ailments would be limited to roughly two months worth of treatments at an outpatient therapy clinic. Any patients that exceed the cap, whether they are healed or not, would have to stop therapy, or pay for the therapy services out of their own pocket.Several medical associations have lobbied against therapy caps because the bill inadvertently restricted disabled seniors, stroke patients, and other severe cases from receiving therapy treatments.

Source: HR.1546&S829 11-S0829 on Apr 14, 2011

Disclose payments from manufacturers to physicians.

Franken signed Physician Payments Sunshine Act

Requires any manufacturer of a covered drug, device, biological, or medical supply that makes a payment or another transfer of value to a physician, a physician medical practice, or a physician group practice to report annually, in electronic form, specified information on such transactions to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Requires any such manufacturer, or related group purchasing organization, also to report annually to the Secretary, in electronic form, certain information regarding any ownership or investment interest (other than in a publicly traded security and mutual fund) held by a physician (or an immediate family member) in the manufacturer or group purchasing organization during the preceding year.
Prescribes administrative penalties for failure to comply with these requirements.
Requires report submission procedures to ensure public availability of required information on a website.

Source: S.301&HR.3138 2009-S301 on Jan 22, 2009

Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care. Click here for a profile of Al Franken. Click here for SenateMatch quiz answers by Al Franken. Click here for AmericansElect quiz answers by Al Franken. Click here for a summary of Al Franken's positions on all issues. Click here for issue positions of other MN politicians.
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