Bi-Partisan Burgess Health Care Bills Headed To House Floor, USA

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance;  Public Health
Article Date: 19 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) announced that two bi-partisan bills he helped write to improve health care passed out of committee and now head to the House floor. Votes are expected by the full House of Representatives in the next few weeks.

The first bill, the Physician Workforce and Graduate Medical Education Enhancement Act (H.R. 2583), provides federal dollars to help small hospitals create residency training programs for certain high-need medical specialties in rural or growing areas. Rep. Burgess sponsored the bill with Democrat Jim Matheson of Utah.

"While the demand for health care is increasing, the supply of doctors is not. This bill targets the growing gap by investing in our physician workforce today with the goal of training the next generation of doctors for tomorrow," said Rep. Michael C. Burgess, a physician who practiced for nearly 25 years in Texas before coming to Congress.

The second bill, the Health Insurance Source of Injury Clarification Act (H.R. 6908), will require health plans to notify individuals of any exclusions or limitations on their health benefits at the point of sale. This proposal would make a technical correction to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which provides rights and protections for participants and beneficiaries in group health plans. The original point of HIPAA protections was to make health plans more accountable to the people they cover. However, for more than 10 years, the lack of clarity about what is covered and what is not impacted millions of Americans, especially those that participate in higher-risk recreational activities. Burgess sponsored this bill with Democrat Bart Stupak of Michigan.

"Congress is charged with making laws to protect people and when they have the opposite effect, we also have a responsibility to work together to fix them. The time has come to fix this loophole in the HIPAA law and this bi-partisan bill does just that," commented Burgess.

This legislation is supported by the American Motorcyclist Association, American Council of Snowmobile Association, American Horse Council, American Motorcyclist Association, American Recreation Coalition, American Trails, Americans for Responsible Recreational Access, Blue Ribbon Coalition, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Motorcycle Industry Council, Motorcycle Riders Foundation, National Ski Areas Association, Specialty Vehicle Industry Council, Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association, the Washington Road Riders Association, and many others.

Congressman Michael C. Burgess