[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4602-4603]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               BETTER HEALTH REWARDS PROGRAM ACT OF 2012

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I wish to advocate for legislation my 
colleague, Senator Portman, and I have coauthored that focuses on 
driving better health outcomes for America's seniors through the use of 
real, positive financial incentives.
  I think we can all agree on a theory--the best health care is often 
the least expensive, and it is often health care you can have real 
control over--prevention.
  According to the Hastings Center, 76 percent of Medicare spending is 
on patients with five or more chronic diseases: stroke, heart disease, 
diabetes and cancer lead the way. And with $2.7 trillion spent annually 
on health care, one of the best ways to slow the growth of that 
spending is to keep Americans healthier, and to do that, we have to 
reduce the prevalence of chronic disease.
  I think Medicare can help spark that transformation. It is a large 
Federal program, some of the smartest health policy links the Federal 
Government and the private sector, and, most important, the Federal 
Government already pays for seniors to have an annual physical.
  At present, when seniors leave that physical, too often there is no 
game plan or specific steps a senior can take to get healthier in the 
year ahead. Seniors get a bunch of numbers about their tests, possibly 
a prescription, and some medical lingo about their general health, but 
mostly everyone just hopes

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things will turn out OK at the next physical. Maybe it was an OK year, 
and that extra dessert wasn't a problem after all.
  We believe that if the Federal Government is already paying for that 
physical, it is only common sense to wring every possible advantage for 
seniors out of it, specifically by giving seniors the tools to make 
changes that promote good health and reward them for staying motivated.
  That is exactly what the bill I have written with Senator Portman 
does. Typically, the assumption has always been that preventive care 
means more services. But in this case, government already pays for the 
service--the $3.8 billion on the annual wellness visit--and we are 
saying, let's get more out of that visit.
  Here is how our legislation--the Medicare Better Health Rewards 
Program Act--would do that:
  First, it is voluntary. Since we hear a little discussion about 
mandates these days, this is voluntary.
  In year 1, a senior has their physical, has their tests run, and 
their health provider has a conversation with them about their health. 
They come up with a plan to use the next year so that the senior can 
get healthier. The provider then lets Medicare know their patient is 
participating.
  In year 2, the senior comes back for their next annual wellness 
visit. Again, tests are run, and they discuss the changes that may have 
occurred over the last year. If they have gotten healthier and their 
provider confirms it, they are eligible for a Healthy Reward. If they 
haven't, they still had their physical at no out of pocket cost to 
them. Their provider still gets paid. The same happens again in year 3.
  Finally, the money to pay these rewards comes from the fact that as 
participating seniors get healthier, Medicare is spending less money on 
them. They are saving the system money. If that occurs, those seniors 
who are getting healthier will be able to share in the savings.
  Bottom line: Innovation is rampant in American health care, and we 
are here with a new strategy to bring a fresh wave of innovation to 
Medicare.
  I would like to thank Senator Portman for working with me on this new 
approach to Medicare reform, and I urge my colleagues to join us in 
cosponsoring our legislation.

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