Congressman Cohen's Statement On The Enactment Of Health Care Reform

Statement

Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement following President Obama signing H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, into law today.

"I was pleased to attend President Obama's signing ceremony of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act today at the White House. Today is the culmination of an American political journey that started 98 years ago with Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 with the Bull Moose Party, and was picked up years later by Harry Truman to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton. Finally, we have brought the United States into line with the rest of the industrialized world by ensuring nearly universal health care.

"H.R. 3590 will extend health insurance to over 32 million Americans who don't have it now, and will cover more than 95 percent of our country's citizens with affordable, quality health plans. It begins to fill the Medicare prescription drug donut hole and afforded to seniors the ability to see their doctors, for free, every year for a wellness checkup. Young Americans will be able to remain on their parents' insurance plans until their 26th birthday, an important provision in such tough economic times when it's becoming harder and harder to find a job.

"This legislation also invests heavily in our Community Health Centers. The $11 billion investment in these important neighborhood resources will go a long way toward ensuring that every American, not just those who can afford it, can receive quality care. It incentivizes prospective doctors to go into the field of primary care and encourages them to practice where we need them most--in urban areas.

"All of this has been done with the utmost attention given to every single detail. The bill that President Obama signed today is not only fully paid for, but actually stands as one of the largest debt reduction measures in years. The most respected and impartial budget scoring office in Washington, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, released its score for this legislation last Friday evening. The results indicated that the legislation will cut the deficit by $143 billion in the first ten years, and $1.2 trillion in the decade following.

"This week, my colleagues and I have fulfilled our charge as members of Congress. This charge, emblazoned above the Speaker's rostrum on the floor of the House, as so eloquently stated by 19th century American Statesman Daniel Webster, "Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests and see whether we also in our day and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.' On Sunday, we performed something worthy of being remembered, and today we have witnessed the enactment of one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress. I am so humbled to have been a part of this historic moment in our nation's history and I look forward to the time that its many important provisions will take effect to improve our health care system for every American."

In addition to the passage of the H.R. 3590 on Sunday, the House also approved H.R. 4872, the Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, by a vote of 220-211. H.R. 4872 contained a provision, for which Congressman Cohen fought vehemently, that increases the state's diminutive Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payment. Under this provision, The MED will receive more federally directed funding than it does now, as it renders more uncompensated care than any other hospital in the state of Tennessee. H.R. 4872 is expected to be considered by the Senate this week.

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