On June 19, Tom Reed wrote:
Honored to receive the Council for Affordable Health Coverage’s (CAHC) first annual Affordability Champion Award for working on bipartisan solutions to hold down health care costs. Pictured here with Joel White, President of CAHC.
Tom’s statement is brief; one might wonder:
- Who is Joel White
- What is CAHC
- What did Reed do to deserve an award
I found answers in CAHC’s press release:
- Joel spent twelve years on Capitol Hill as professional staff, where he helped enact nine laws, including the 2002 Trade Act, which created health care tax credits, the 2003 law that established the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Health Savings Accounts, the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act and the 2006 Tax Reform and Health Care Act, which reformed Medicare payment policies.
- The Council for Affordable Health Coverage is a broad-based association of organizations representing consumers, physicians, small businesses, large employers, manufacturers and retailers, franchises, insurers, brokers and agents dedicated to the principle that health coverage should be affordable for all Americans.
- “We commend Congressmen Reed and Thompson for breaking partisan taboos to tackle a dysfunctional aspect of the ACA that, if implemented, would have driven up premiums and harmed millions of small businesses and workers. Achieving this reform seven months before the mid-terms was, politically, a steep hill to climb, but thanks to Congressmen Reed and Thompson, bipartisanship and common sense prevailed.”
HR 4302 was sponsored by Rep. Pitts (R-PA); it had no cosponsors. HR 4302 has many provisions; in particular, Sec. 213 amends PPACA to repeal the limitation on cost-sharing (deductibles) for employer-sponsored health plans. However CAHC’s press release notes that “The Act codifies an administrative determination by the Obama administration that implementation of the small group cap was impracticable.” If the cap on deductibles was a problem, that problem had already been solved. The PBS article cited gives much more information on HR 4302 and Tom Reed’s role. Reed is quoted:
“I was brought up in a family of 12. My mother taught me to be patient (wanting to repeal Obamacare),” said Rep. Tom Reed of New York, who backed a stand-alone bill (HR 2995) to make the same change.
To give Tom Reed, an active enemy of PPAHC, an award for “bipartisan solutions to hold down health care costs” seems phony to me. But then CAHC is clearly a healthcare industry lobby group whose President, Joel White, used the revolving door between government and lobbying.
© William Hungerford – June 2014
https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4302
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/gop-quietly-secures-change-health-care-law/
New NY 23rd 
“Affordability Champion Award” ? Does that mean his vote is relatively “affordable”?
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More pats on the back from like minded would-be repealers of the ACA.
How brave of Tom to be “breaking partisan taboos”. Too bad he didn’t choose to be brave in areas that would actually help rather than hinder healthcare for his constituents.
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Reed claims to be a “bipartisan hero” on shaky grounds–even one Democrat is enough for Tom to call a bill bipartisan. HR 2995, was introduced by Mr. REED for himself, Mr. THOMPSON (D-CA), and Mr. TIBERI (R-OH). I don’t know why Rep. Tiberi didn’t share the award; perhaps he was naughty, nor do I know what partisan taboo might have been broken.
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Well, if Tiberi was over-looked for this award, I can’t imagine what hoops Tom had to jump through to get it..
http://www.ontheissues.org/OH/Pat_Tiberi.htm
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