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Clinic Endorses Cantwell Proposal
Published in The Everett Herald
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Friday, September 25, 2009
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At The Everett Clinic, we provide care to more than 250,000 people in the north Puget Sound region and we firmly believe changes must be made in health care. That is why we support Sen. Maria Cantwell’s efforts to improve Medicare by making sure that Medicare payments are based on the quality of care delivered, not the quantity of care provided. For too long our state has been penalized for providing good care for less money.
Sen. Cantwell’s proposal to reform Medicare puts the patients first by ensuring that Medicare rewards the quality of care. The focus will be on preventive, coordinated care to help seniors stay healthy, not just treat them when they are sick. This approach will minimize expensive emergency, hospital or nursing home care, providing more value for each health care dollar that is spent. We applaud her efforts and encourage the Senate to accept her proposal to improve Medicare so seniors can continue to receive the quality care they need.
Sen. Cantwell is also working on other proposals to increase access to care while bringing down costs by ensuring that patients have access to primary care doctors and that people don’t have to spend through their savings to qualify for Medicaid just to get long-term care. We hope that Congress gives serious consideration to her proposals as part of any reform package.
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