Published: Sunday, April 2, 2006
Brown offers criticism of health insurance bill
Brown also is supporting a grass-roots campaign to raise the minimum wage.
By DEBORA SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — A Republican-backed U.S. Senate bill that's supposed to help small businesses buy affordable health insurance also would disregard current state insurance laws, says U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown of Lorain, D-13th.
That means health providers could discontinue coverage for maternity care, many cancer screenings, kidney dialysis, basic children's health care, mental health treatment and diabetic supplies, Brown said.
Brown met Saturday at Youngstown Community Health Center with doctors, nurses and patients as he criticized Senate Bill 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act, that cleared a Senate committee last month.
Youngstown was one of six campaign stops Saturday for Brown, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Michael DeWine, R-Ohio.
"This Congress is one that first of all thinks about its interest group supporters," Brown said, citing the insurance industry.
What approval would mean
Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyoming, is lead sponsor of the bill. If it's approved, small businesses could form associations, regardless of state lines, to buy health insurance.
Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee were defeated in attempts to pass amendments that would have upheld various state insurance laws. Those laws ensure that people are covered for most kinds of illnesses.
DeWine voted with Democrats on some amendments to the bill, according to an online article by Bureau of National Affairs. When those amendments failed, DeWine voted for the package, Brown noted.
Brown's co-wrote legislation to enable small businesses to buy into the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and receive a 25-percent tax credit. The FEHB has coverage options that, for example, allow a business owner to pay less for premiums in exchange for higher deductibles and copays, he said.
Minimum wage
Earlier in the day, Brown was in Ashtabula to promote a grass-roots campaign to raise Ohio's minimum wage.
The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, but Ohio's minimum wage is $4.25. The federal wage prevails except among a handful of businesses that are exempt because they have fewer than 50 employees, Brown said.
The nation's minimum wage hasn't increased in a decade, Brown said. The Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment would raise it to $6.85 an hour beginning next January and include future adjustments for inflation. More than 500,000 Ohioans would receive "a significant boost," he said.
shaulis@vindy.com
Sunday, April 2, 2006
Brown also is supporting a grass-roots campaign to raise the minimum wage.
By DEBORA SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — A Republican-backed U.S. Senate bill that's supposed to help small businesses buy affordable health insurance also would disregard current state insurance laws, says U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown of Lorain, D-13th.
That means health providers could discontinue coverage for maternity care, many cancer screenings, kidney dialysis, basic children's health care, mental health treatment and diabetic supplies, Brown said.
Brown met Saturday at Youngstown Community Health Center with doctors, nurses and patients as he criticized Senate Bill 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act, that cleared a Senate committee last month.
Youngstown was one of six campaign stops Saturday for Brown, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Michael DeWine, R-Ohio.
"This Congress is one that first of all thinks about its interest group supporters," Brown said, citing the insurance industry.
What approval would mean
Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyoming, is lead sponsor of the bill. If it's approved, small businesses could form associations, regardless of state lines, to buy health insurance.
Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee were defeated in attempts to pass amendments that would have upheld various state insurance laws. Those laws ensure that people are covered for most kinds of illnesses.
DeWine voted with Democrats on some amendments to the bill, according to an online article by Bureau of National Affairs. When those amendments failed, DeWine voted for the package, Brown noted.
Brown's co-wrote legislation to enable small businesses to buy into the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and receive a 25-percent tax credit. The FEHB has coverage options that, for example, allow a business owner to pay less for premiums in exchange for higher deductibles and copays, he said.
Minimum wage
Earlier in the day, Brown was in Ashtabula to promote a grass-roots campaign to raise Ohio's minimum wage.
The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, but Ohio's minimum wage is $4.25. The federal wage prevails except among a handful of businesses that are exempt because they have fewer than 50 employees, Brown said.
The nation's minimum wage hasn't increased in a decade, Brown said. The Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment would raise it to $6.85 an hour beginning next January and include future adjustments for inflation. More than 500,000 Ohioans would receive "a significant boost," he said.
shaulis@vindy.com
Sunday, April 2, 2006
A Republican-backed U.S. Senate bill that's supposed to help small businesses buy affordable health insurance also would...
