PA002 Assignment Legislation

Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement

Honorable Members of Congress,

I am thrilled to support H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023. This law is a significant step towards a healthcare system that fairly and with dignity treats every individual. Existing approaches that prioritize medical interventions based on Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) can inadvertently work against the benefit of medical care for older adults, people with disabilities, and those suffering from chronic diseases. All lives deserve the same level of respect, regardless of their health or life.

Advocating for the Bill

The main goal of H.R.485 is to make sure that everyone, no matter their age, disability, or grave illness, gets fair treatment under the government health care programs. When people rely too much on QALYs, their lives are not valued as highly as those of other private patients, which can be unfair to the poor people who have disabilities or different long-term illnesses (Congressional Budget Office, 2023). It is the right time to ban this bill, which makes sure that they don’t make life less valuable.

Beyond lowering a person’s worth, this goes against the moral principles of fairness and justice that should guide our healthcare system (Milstead & Short, 2019). By passing H.R.485, Congress can take a big step toward fixing these kinds of problems and making the healthcare system fairer and more open to every patient in the country.

Addressing Opponents’ Concerns

Some critics advocate the use of QALYs as a way to manage the cost of the healthcare system and to direct decisions about the allocation of scarce health resources. Cost management, being important in healthcare policy, should neither be compromised based on financial efficiency nor be sacrificed on the altar of equal treatment. Choices made regarding the care of patients must take into account the value inherent in human life rather than relying on a simple economic assessment (Evers-Hillstrom, 2024).

Healthcare interventions can be conducted using an alternative method that will not discriminate against people who need extra medical assistance. Public policy should aim to create strategies that address specific concerns about responsible spending and fairness, as well as patient-centered care.

Working in the health care field, I can appreciate the impact such policies can have on patients. One reason that someone with a permanent disability or complicated health needs might find treatment, which would save their life, difficult is that current ways of assessing benefits for disability compensation fail to adequately capture the assistance those individuals receive from care (Congress.gov, 2023). In doing so, these practices would enhance access to improved health care for many Americans.
Some have also said that the revisions to H.R. 485 may impact funding for preventive health programs. The value of preventive care for enhancing public health and minimizing longer-term health care expenditures was important. By carefully considering a program’s implementation and duty to keep the budget in check, lawmakers can safeguard prevention efforts and, at the same time, ensure that health decisions are fair and unbiased (Evers-Hillstrom, 2024; Congress.gov, 2023).

Impact of Social Determinants

Social determinants of health, like income, education, age, employment, and access to health services, significantly affect health outcomes. Members of economically deprived groups typically have to endure more obstacles to accessing timely and effective health care. Older adults and those impacted by healthcare disabilities often will need more medical and healthcare services, and thus are particularly susceptible to ‘quality adjusted life year’ policies.

H.R. 485 will work to curb these inequities by limiting health-care decisions based on individual characteristics or health status that result in burdens disproportionate to affected populations: Mody, 2018. The bill proposes to create a fairer healthcare system that makes decisions on patient care based on medical need, not on what it values or does not value.
Many older people and people who have had a lifelong disability will need continuous treatment to help keep them healthy and independent, for instance. These patients may have reduced access to some treatment, as the expected quality of life with the therapy is reduced under QALY-based assessments. H.R. 485, by banning the use of these measures, supports health care choices that uphold each patient’s dignity and promote patient health (Rules House, 2024).

Conclusion

H.R. 485 is a significant move toward enhancing fairness, equality, and moral judgment in the healthcare system here in America. All patients must be treated equally, irrespective of their age, disability, or medical condition. Congress should support this measure to end inequitable access to health services and provide the basis for patients’ decisions and health services to be based on compassion, medical necessity, and equal opportunity. This bill would help an American health-care system that works for the people.

Sincerely,