Senator Warner and 10 of his Freshman Senate colleagues will introduce a package of amendments today aimed at broadening and accelerating efforts to encourage innovation and affordability for consumers across the U.S. health care system.

CLICK HERE TO READ A SUMMARY OF THE AMENDMENT

The Virginian-Pilot wrote about some of the details this morning:

The amendments developed by the 11 senators focus on requiring more accountability by creating new methods for collecting and comparing information on costs, treatments and outcomes. They would require Medicare, for example, to switch to a pay-for-performance method, rather than simply pay for services rendered.

Senator Warner spoke to the Richmond Times-Dispatch about the provisions:

“The driving reason we have to do health care is because the cost . . . is crippling our economy and making it harder for business to be competitive," Warner said in a telephone interview.

Warner, elected in 2008, and the other first-term Democrats today will introduce amendments to the Senate bill that, among other things, would control reimbursements to doctors, hospitals and others. The proposed revisions also would give the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services greater authority to curb fraud and abuse within Medicare by more closely monitoring spending patterns.

"The folks who recently got elected believe that the cost issue needs more attention, and we want to make sure our voices are heard," Warner said from Washington.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Foundation told the Virginian-Pilot this morning that they support Senator Warner's measures, which they say can help address the inadequate fee-for-service model of doctor payments that we have now:

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Laurens Sartoris , president of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, based in the Richmond area. “It’s an effort toward actually reforming the delivery system.”

Stay tuned for video of the press conference later this morning and for more details of the amendment package.

CLICK HERE TO READ A SUMMARY OF THE AMENDMENT