House Passes Critical Health Insurance Reform Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, March 21, 2010
CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163/ (202) 302-3249
House Passes Critical Health Insurance Reform Legislation
Congresswoman Matsui Votes to Ensure Quality, Affordable Health Care for Sacramento Families, Hold Insurance Companies Accountable, and Reduce the Deficit
Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) voted in support of the health insurance legislation that has been debated in the halls of Congress and across this country for the past year. She voted to ensure quality, affordable health care for Sacramento families and to hold insurance companies accountable. H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , which was passed by the House today, will now be sent to the President for his signature. A separate bill, H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 andmdash;which makes important improvements on the previously passed Senate billandmdash;is now being sent to the Senate for final passage. Together, these two bills comprise a health insurance reform package that will make short and long-term improvements to the current system, while reducing the national deficit by $143 billion in the first 10 years.
"I am proud to have voted for a health insurance reform bill that will improve the quality of life for Sacramento families and seniors by controlling costs, strengthening Medicare, and reducing the deficit," said Matsui. "If we did nothing, the health care system would continue to work for insurance companies than it does for the American people. Health insurance reform means that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage for pre-existing conditions or drop coverage if someone in a family gets sick. Simply put, this bill is about expanding access to health care and putting consumers' health care before insurance company profits."
A member of the House Committees on Energy andamp; Commerce and Rules, Congresswoman Matsui played a central role in drafting the health care legislation in the House. She has been a strong advocate for America's seniors, and worked to include in the legislation provisions that strengthen Medicare, cover the cost of preventive care for Medicare patients, invest in primary care doctors, and provide incentives for coordinated care. The Congresswoman has also been a champion of strengthening and investing in our health care workforce; many components of the bills being passed tonight will create jobs and increase the quality of care for all Americans.
The health care reform package will provide small businesses with incentives and tax credits to provide health insurance for their employees. By lowering the premiums that employers pay for their employees, reform will free up money for jobs and for economic growth. Absent reform, premiums paid by businesses would more than double in the next decade- to a total of $885 billion by 2019 - and one in five employers would stop offering coverage to their employees within five years.
Over and above its benefits for small businesses, the health care legislation provides American families the peace of mind they need and deserve. By reigning in the worst practices of insurance companiesandmdash;such as denying health care to people because of pre-existing conditionsandmdash;the bill will expand access to cover 95 percent of Americans and insure an additional 58,500 Sacramentans who are currently without health care. Additionally, premium costs will go down as much as 60 percent for many Americans buying individual insurance policies, thanks to the tax cuts included in the health reform proposal. This represents the largest middle class tax cut for health care in American history.
"I have heard so many personal stories from my constituents who are struggling to make ends meet and who are being burdened by the current health insurance market," Matsui continued. "The status quo is not working for people in my district. And if it's not working for the people of Sacramento, then it's not working for me. The health insurance reform legislation Congress has approved is an historic achievement that will benefit Sacramentans for years to come."
For comprehensive information on the health insurance reform legislation passed by the House of Representatives today and supported by Congresswoman Matsui, including downloadable fact sheets, please visit: www.matsui.house.gov/healthcare
To watch Congresswoman Matsui's closing argument in favor of the health care legislation as delivered today on the House floor, please visit: www.youtube.com/RepDorisMatsui
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