Issue Position: Health Care Reform

Issue Position

Providing health care to American families is a moral issue. Democrats have just extended health coverage by passing health care reform that extends protection to 32 million additional Americans. It makes denial of coverage on the basis of preexisting conditions a thing of the past, prohibits sex discrimination that charges women more for their health care premiums and forbids insurers from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies. 

It is devastating for the American people to have their health insurance premiums increase by 30, 40 or even 50 percent or more each year. Cost controls put in place by the new law will reduce premiums, and provide income based subsidies to assist all families in paying for their health insurance. It is simply unacceptable that 12,000 Americans a day lose their coverage; the new law eliminates cancellation for illness or pre-existing conditions. It was not acceptable that businesses had to choose between failure and providing their employees with health care protection. The new law provides subsidies to support small business in doing the right thing and insuring all their employees.

When Republicans controlled the legislative and executive branches of the national government, they made no serious effort to deal with these concerns. In Oklahoma 14 percent of our people are uninsured. The average premium for a family is $11,053 and for single coverage is $4,072. The new law will make coverage for Oklahomans more affordable and provide subsidies to help lower income families purchase health care.

The new health care reform makes health care more affordable and closes the "donut hole" in senior drug coverage. The newly minted health care law also will cut the federal budget deficit by an estimated $138 billion over the next ten years (according to the Congressional Budget Office estimate) and an additional $1.2 trillion at the end of a twenty year period. No longer will insurance companies be free to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Democrats have consistently supported Americans helping each other by passing Social Security, Medicare and now a major health care reform law. Time and again, Democrats have come to the aid of the middle class and those who need a better promise of achieving the American dream. Concern for each citizen, ensuring equal opportunity to achieve the American dream, and providing a safety net to keep them out of poverty, is a moral issue that now has been squarely and effectively addressed by Democrats.

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