<nobr>Jul 27, 2006</nobr>

House Passes Health Information Technology Legislation

The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a Washington, D.C. trade association comprised of the nation’s largest employers and sponsor benchmark health plans, applauds the House of Representatives and congratulates House Ways and Means Committee Health Subcommittee Chairman Nancy Johnson (R-CT) on the passage of H.R. 4157, the Better Health Information System Act of 2006.

The bill promotes the adoption of interoperable electronic health records, codifies the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, and extends safe-harbors under federal anti-kickback rules, and will lead to a safer, more efficient, and more affordable healthcare system.

ERIC considers an interoperable system of electronic medical records an absolute necessity, which disasters like hurricanes Katrina and Rita made all too clear. Many displaced persons evacuees, whose medical records were locked away in the submerged filing cabinets of flooded hospitals, faced medical complications because doctors were not aware of their prescription allergies or preexisting conditions. Many individuals face the same lack of medical information availability every day. However, many veterans, who have electronic medical records through the Department of Veterans Affairs, were able to keep their doctors informed and thereby avoided those often deadly complications.

“This bill represents a positive move for healthcare in America,” said ERIC President Mark Ugoretz. “Major employers want to continue providing quality healthcare and retiree health options to their employees and families - health information technology will be a key factor in improving the quality of care, while helping to put the brakes on rapidly rising costs. Living in a 21st century economy, we can ill afford 19th century record keeping,” Ugoretz said.

In a June 26 letter to House of Representatives, Ugoretz urged the House to act quickly to pass H.R. 4157, citing the need for measures to control costs and improve the quality of care Americans receive. The letter cited a projected $165 billion in savings that could result from the bill, which, as large as it is, would be secondary to the myriad safety, quality, and efficiency improvements that health information technology will bring about.

The House of Representatives voted to pass the legislation on July 27, 2006 by a margin of 270 to 148. The next step for health information technology legislation is for the House bill to go to conference with a Senate bill sponsored by Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Wired for Health Care Quality Act (S. 1418).

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ERIC is a non-profit association committed to representing the advancement of the employee retirement, health, and compensation plans of America’s largest employers. ERIC’s members provide benchmark retirement, health care coverage, compensation and other economic security benefits directly to tens of millions of active and retired workers and their families. ERIC has a strong interest in proposals affecting its members’ ability to deliver those benefits, their cost and their effectiveness, as well as the role of those benefits in the American economy.

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