Federal Issues Committee
Marriott Hotel
San Carlos Room II – Mezzanine Level
Monterey, CA
Thursday, January 22, 2009
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Please Note: Only the C.A.R. Board of Directors may take action on behalf
of the California Association of REALTORS®; not individual committees. The
Summary of Action Items for the Board of Directors may be found at:
http://www.car.org/meetings/carmeetings/summary-of-action-items/
The archive section for each committee, including meeting materials for
each committee, may be found at:
http://www.car.org/meetings/carmeetings/committee-materials-archive/
Set out below is a summary of Federal Issues Committee activity, including
the additional action on those items (if any) by other C.A.R.
bodies.
CALL TO ORDER
The Chair convened the meeting of the Federal Issues Committee at 3:00 PM.
REPORT ONLY
1. It was reported for information only that C.A.R. recognizes the need for healthcare reform and the substantial calls for change coming from numerous sectors of society. While REALTORS® are not experts on all aspects of healthcare reform, it is appropriate for REALTORS® to be involved in the issue as it impacts REALTORS® cost of business and quality of life. Additionally, rising healthcare costs can limit a person’s ability to be able to afford both health insurance and the American dream of homeownership. Furthermore, a recent NAR study found that concerns with health insurance and healthcare were among the top domestic policy concerns for REALTORS®.
C.A.R. believes that NAR should support healthcare reform which includes
the following:
-- Healthcare insurance reform should continue to be a hybrid of the
private and public sector. There should be the creation of new
programs and policies, but the private market should not be restricted or
eliminated.
-- Health insurance should be made available, affordable, and portable for
all; including premium stability and available options. Insurance
should cover pre-existing conditions and be continuous.
-- There should be an individual mandate for health insurance. The
individual mandate must include incentives to assist those unable to afford
insurance as well as disincentives for those who fail to participate.
This includes both the expansion of current programs and financial
incentives.
-- There is the need for financial incentives for small business owners and
the self-employed in order to assist them in gaining access to affordable
health insurance.
-- There should be support for a Federal Healthcare Board that would
function similar to the Federal Reserve and set minimum mandates, set
minimum standards such as preventative health and long-term care, and allow
medical providers to offer appropriate care. The Federal Healthcare
Board would be independent, but still accountable to elected officials and
the American people. The Federal Healthcare Board would be staffed by
experts in the healthcare and medical field and establish guidelines that
programs can follow.
-- Health insurance should come in clear and transparent language
concerning what services are covered and how they are covered.
-- There should be the creation of a secure IT database for medical
providers that protects patient’s privacy and helps reduce administrative
costs. The database needs to be in a universal programming code so
that all providers are able to access and update the records when
needed.
-- There should be efforts made to help recruit and retain more healthcare
providers, particularly doctors and nurses.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM
