Vice President Biden Increases His Involvement in Advocating Health Care Reform

Vice President Biden has increased active involvement with administration attempts to reform health care. This past Tuesday Mr. Biden met with state insurance commissioners to advocate tighter regulation of the health care must be implemented "to protect consumers and slow the spiraling cost of medical coverage."

Biden explained to the commissioners that the Obama plan will increase efficiency within the health care industry and in turn would have two immediate, positive effects; bringing about more competition and give consumers a wider range of choices, and in addition, would bring more consumers into the health care marketplace by tapping into the large number of Americans who do not currently have health insurance coverage.

Speaking to the overall positive effect of the Obama plan, Biden explained: "So, the profits might not be as high per person they cover, but there will be a much larger pool of paying customers."

Biden made his remarks advocating change in the current way that the health care industry operates based on the administration's contention that the nation faces an explosion in health care costs that threatens the ability of Americans to keep pace with escalating health care costs to the "National Association of Insurance Commissioners at National Harbor in Prince George's County," Maryland.

The next day, Biden spoke to senior citizens at a town hall meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland.



At the town hall meeting, Vice President Joe Biden joined with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to tout the administration's issuance of a new document, "Health Insurance Reform and Medicare: Making Medicare Stronger for America's Seniors."

The Vice President tells seniors that the myths they've heard about health reform are "malarkey," as a new report shows how seniors and Medicare will benefit.

  
Biden was relaxed and at ease with the assembled crowd of seniors at Leisure World, a suburban Maryland retirement community, to reassure seniors about their Medicare coverage. He even took time to explain "about having to disabuse his own mother of myths being spread around about "death panels" and reduced Medicare benefits, getting laughs at the line: "I said, 'Mom, I'm trying to kill you," before explaining to her that it was a "bunch of malarkey."

Vice President Joe Biden speaks to seniors during a healthcare town hall meeting at Leisure World in Silver Springs, Maryland, Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Also in attendance were Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy Ann De Parle.

“Nobody is going to mess with your benefits,” said Biden, who was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House health adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle. “All we do is make it better for people on Medicare.”

White House health adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle (l.), Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (c.) and Vice President Joe Biden, answer questions from seniors about the proposed health care reforms on Wednesday, at Leisure World in Silver Spring, Maryland.
(Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The White House announced that: "The new report out of HHS addresses some of the common questions American seniors have about health insurance reform: How will reducing subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans affect me? How will health insurance reform make my care more affordable? Will health insurance reform actually improve my care? Will I have a choice of doctor? Will Medicare be there for me in the future?

"For each of these questions," the report details "the problems with the status quo and discusses the solutions provided by the President’s health insurance reform plan.  Some of the solutions listed in the report include:

    * Preserving and strengthening Medicare
    * Cutting high prescription drug costs
    * Making preventive services free
    * Ending overpayments to private insurance companies that cost all Medicare beneficiaries
    * Improving quality and patient safety
    * Making long term care services more affordable" 

Vice President Joe Biden greets seniors after holding a healthcare town hall meeting at Leisure World in Silver Springs, Maryland, Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Also in attendance were Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy Ann De Parle.