Supports Cantwell's Medicare reform proposal


October 2, 2009 · 9:32 AM

  • 0
  • Print Story
  • Letter/Editor

Our nation’s health care system is broken and in urgent need of repair. We need to figure out how to insure the 47 million Americans living without coverage, fix what’s broken with our current system, and rein in the skyrocketing insurance premiums that far outpace our wage growth.

Three fundamental areas of health care reform need urgent work: reforming Medicare to link doctors’ pay to quality of service, not quantity; guaranteeing patients’ access to primary care doctors; and ensuring that people do not need to exhaust their savings to qualify for Medicaid and long-term care.

Our congressional delegation has made some headway. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell has already succeeded in including a Medicare reform proposal in committee and is pushing for proposals that will increase the number of primary doctors in the workforce and improve the availability of long-term care.

I agree wholeheartedly with Sen. Cantwell’s proposals and urge Congress to include them in any reform package.

State Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Anacortes
40th Legislative District

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.

blog comments powered by Disqus