Today Congresswoman Chellie Pingree blasted proposed legislation to repeal reforms that end the worst practices of insurance companies, closes the Medicare donut hole for seniors, gives millions of Americans affordable access to quality health care, and slashes the deficit.
"Congress' first priority in the new session should be moving our economy forward, not pushing our health care system backward," said Pingree. "Repealing this law means telling the teenager with diabetes that she can't get insurance. It means telling the restaurant owner that he can't get help to provide insurance to his employees. It means telling a grandmother that she's going to have to keep cutting her heart pills in half. As families struggle to make ends meet in the down economy, do we really want to tell them these burdens are back on their shoulders?"
Congress could vote on a repeal of health care reforms by January 12. Under a proposal by incoming House leadership, the repeal legislation would be exempt from pay-go rules that restrict laws from increasing the federal deficit. The Congressional Budget Office said health care reforms would reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next 10 years--a repeal would wipe out those savings and increase the deficit.
"I'm going to do whatever I can to protect Mainers from the injustices of big insurance companies and the tragedy of unaffordable health care," said Pingree. "That means standing up against this repeal and the irresponsible, wasteful, and bogus reasons behind it."