Minnesota Insurance

The Clinton administration has, by far the politically controversial idea of introducing an annual limit of national expenditure in the health sector, Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, said today.

She told the Finance Committee of the Senate that the government expects, instead of controlling health care costs by introducing limits on how quickly insurance premiums increase.

The concept of a national or global “budget of all expenditures in the health sector was supported by President Clinton during the election campaign last fall, but the administration has backpedaled on the idea faces stiff criticism of Republicans, said there would be that much state control. The administration has never clearly, as a total operating budget and the proposed legislation does not mention Congress Wednesday . The burden of poor

But the idea, instead bewegungseinschränkende demand for insurance has increased to some Republicans, including the assumption by President Clinton needs for its proposal to revise the health system. This approach was the only instrument of implementation of the management of the whole question of when he spoke of the need for an overall budget of health. They always disavowed the idea of specific price controls for medical services, which would be another possibility for the protection of rights on a budget.

But while Republicans like the idea of creating a national health care budget, the concept appealed to many liberals. They worry that while some costs are controlled and others do not, then the borders inevitably fall into the arms, then the medical industry would be less inclined to serve them.

So if Dr. Shalala testified: “We believe Premium-caps are a substitute for the overall budget, some senators Liberals was surprised. Senator Paul Wellstone, Minnesota, a Democrat, said he was disappointed.

Today, Dr. Shalala presented the Committee that a card, she said proof of his assertion: “For most Americans, this plan would lead to a reduction in insurance costs. For a relatively small number of our citizens This new system costs a little more. “How man can be to pay more

But his office expanded on the basis of figures in the Congress of Hillary Rodham Clinton, last month revealed that 40 percent of Americans now have health insurance, their insurance premiums increase.

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, New York Democrat, head of the Finance Committee, has reached over 100 million people. “We owe it to them they are increasingly high, or that their civic duty,” he said. Tonight White House said a spokesman, he would have 71 million people over pay, while 109 million would be paying the same or less.

According to the bureau, 53 percent would be less on premiums under the plan, and 7 percent to pay the same amount.

Officials of the administration argues that today poses the question of a national health budget vs hats for premiums was more semantic than real. While the health insurance premiums totaling $ 321 billion expected by $ 982 billion in health care expenditure in the year 1994, they said, it would affect limit much of the rest of national health spending. Additional services that are not affected

But one aide, said the border would probably not affect, either directly or indirectly, services, which do not fall under the basic plan proposed by the administration as dentistry and nursing vision Services, home care and a lot of spending on home health care and mental health.

Today, C. Ira Magaziner, President Clinton’s chief aide for public health policy, it was requested, senators on Capitol lunch, if the overall national budget or remained in the plan. He did not answer directly, two senators, but says that the limitation of insurance premiums would accomplish the purpose of controlling costs.

After the meeting, Mr. Magaziner was briefly interviewed on the Capitol and spoke of the budget approach was abandoned a few months ago. But it was clear that not everyone has had the floor.