In face of House vote on repeal, Durbin touts benefits of health care reform

At roughly the same time the U.S. House was taking a major vote toward the repeal of health care legislation, Sen. Dick Durbin was at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, touting the law's merits to skeptical doctors and nurses.

Durbin, who was in town Friday, made a stop at the hospital after visiting John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights earlier in the morning.

The house voted 236-181, mostly along party lines, to move ahead to a final vote on repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which went into effect Jan. 1. Republicans say the legislation is too expensive, and is an excessive intervention of government.

Durbin told hospital officials that the Congressional Budget Office estimates repeal would add $230 billion to the national deficit, and cause “critical consumer protections” to be lost. Among them, he said, nearly 50,000 young adults automatically covered under their parents' plans would lose insurance; those with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage and caps on insurance bills could be reinstituted.

Meanwhile, Durbin said, the state would not receive additional funds to “crack down” on insurance premium increases.

Durbin told hospital officials that he supports some reforms to the legislation — among them removing a provision requiring companies to file tax forms for any purchase or service transaction of $600 or more.

With its new Republican majority, the House is expected to vote on — and pass — repeal of the legislation next week. With 53 Democratic senators, 50 of whom have said they're opposed to repeal, the measure is expected to be halted in the Senate.

Doctors at the news conference, including hospital rheumatologist David Sager, expressed concern about liability issues, and large numbers of frivolous malpractice suits, which drive up costs.

Durbin noted several medical malpractice reform bills have been ruled unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court, and on the national level, there is no effort underway to establish a medical malpractice standard.

Durbin said he would be in favor of establishing a review panel to decide if lawsuits should go forward, but he also advocated for doctors to “do a better job” and “deal with those who should not be practicing medicine.”