The president has signed the economic recovery bill into law. AARP responds to your questions about the legislation’s health care provisions.

I’ve heard the economic package will ration health care for older people.  Why would AARP support that?

We don’t. AARP would fight—with the strength of our 40 million members—any attempt to prevent a doctor or hospital from giving the best possible care to their patients.

Opponents of health reform are distorting the truth on something called “comparative effectiveness research.” That is a long name for a simple thing: researching two or more treatments and giving that information to you and your doctor so you can decide which option will keep you healthier.

Right now, this research is done all the time—both by government agencies and by the private sector (like pharmaceutical companies and health plans). All the legislation would do is to provide additional funding for more independent research.

No part of this bill will prevent your doctor from prescribing the treatments that are most appropriate for you. In fact, the legislation makes clear that this research will not mandate any coverage policies for any private or public payer [see Section 804(g)]. The legislative language specifically says: “Nothing in this section shall be constructed to permit [the government] to mandate coverage, reimbursement, or other policies for any public or private payer” [see Section 804(g)(1)].

Isn’t this bill going to create socialized medicine?

Absolutely not. Nothing in the economic recovery bill will take away your doctor or your health coverage or create a system of socialized medicine. Opponents of health reform are trying to distort the information by combining two separate issues—creating a better health information technology (IT) system, and funding independent research on health care options. 

The legislation contains strong provisions to protect the privacy of your medical records, ensure that they are only used for legitimate purposes, and increase penalties for misuse of your sensitive personal health information. 

In fact, the bill specifically prohibits the government from mandating any coverage decisions based on this research, or issuing guidelines that would suggest how to interpret the results [see Section 804(g)]. Instead, the package will help your doctors get up-to-the-minute information on your health—whether you’re seeing a new doctor at home or wind up in the hospital while traveling. And it’s going to fund more medical research so that you and your doctor always have information about the best treatments available.

Why didn’t Congress debate the bill openly and in the public eye?

Both comparative effectiveness research and health IT have been around for years, if not decades, and they were in the economic recovery package from the beginning. They’ve been debated in congressional committee hearings and on the floors of Congress.

And the research that this bill funds has been going on for years at agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the VA program, as well as at private entities, like some health plans. All the legislation does is to provide more funding for research that’s been going on for years. 

These aren’t partisan issues, either. They have enjoyed support from both Republicans and Democrats, as well as consumer advocates like AARP.  Republicans such as former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.)—a medical doctor—have supported comparative effectiveness research (CER).  Democrats such as former Congressman Tom Allen (D-Maine) and former Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) have also supported CER. The nonpartisan, independent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Institute of Medicine have also called for more comparative effectiveness research.

How are these programs going to stimulate the economy?

The economic package is supposed to create jobs, help out people who are getting squeezed by the economy, and lay the foundation for future economic growth. The health provisions, including both health IT and health research, will help accomplish all three. This package will create jobs and give a needed boost to our broken health care system. Fixing our health care system is critical to getting our economy back on track.

Why does my doctor oppose this bill?

Many doctors groups, including the American College of Physicians, support these provisions because they will help doctors keep patients healthier. Health IT will make it easier to prevent mistakes like drug interactions that could make you sicker instead of healthier. And getting more objective medical research will help your doctor choose the treatment that’s best for you.

AARP agrees with some concerned doctors that every piece of research will not necessarily apply to every patient. We will fight—with the strength of our 40 million members—any attempt to prevent a doctor or hospital from giving the best possible care to their patients.

Will the new bill prevent me from getting experimental treatments?

Absolutely not. This bill does not affect the availability of any type of treatment. You and your doctors will still be able to choose the treatments that are best for you. And this bill will fund more medical research so that we can all get the best treatments available.

Does the health IT provision put all of my information into a government file?

The legislation contains strong provisions to protect the privacy of your medical records, ensure that they are only used for legitimate purposes, and increase penalties for misuse of your sensitive personal health information.

In fact, the bill specifically prohibits the government from mandating any coverage decisions based on this research, or issuing guidelines that would suggest how to interpret the results [see Section 804(g)].

With the switch to electronic medical records, how can I be sure my personal information is safe?

One of the biggest concerns about having doctors move their records from paper onto computers is making sure that the privacy of their patients is safe. That is one of the biggest reasons for the health IT provisions in this economic recovery package—to establish protections that keep medical records confidential to patients and their health providers.

AARP and other leading consumer advocacy groups are working with Congress to make sure these protections best work for individuals and their doctors. It’s taken a long time, but everyone agrees this legislation will give our doctors the information they need while protecting your privacy.

Were these policy ideas created by former Sen. Tom Daschle?

However people feel about Sen. Daschle, these issues have been around for much longer than his book.

Both comparative effectiveness research and health IT have been around for years, if not decades, and they were in the economic recovery package from the beginning. They’ve been debated in congressional committee hearings and on the floors of Congress.

And the research that this bill funds has been going on for years at agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the VA program, as well as at private entities, like some health plans. All the legislation does is to provide more funding for research that’s been going on for years. 

These aren’t partisan issues, either. They have enjoyed support from both Republicans and Democrats, as well as consumer advocates like AARP. Republicans such as former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee—a medical doctor—have supported comparative effectiveness research. Democrats such as former Rep. Tom Allen of Maine and former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York have also supported CER. The nonpartisan, independent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Institute of Medicine have also called for more comparative effectiveness research.