Congressman Ackerman's Statement In Support Of The Health Care And Education Affordability Act Of 2010

Statement

U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) made the following statement today in support of the Health Care and Education Affordability Act of 2010.

Mr. ACKERMAN. Madame Speaker, I rise on this historic day in strong support of the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, H.R. 4872.

Let me be perfectly clear: all Americans should have access to affordable and quality health-care coverage. For too long, drastically needed health-insurance reform has been delayed. I'm proud that the overdue reform of our health-care insurance system has finally begun. Many of us, including Members of Congress, enjoy excellent health-care coverage. But far too many people have inadequate coverage, including over 70,000 of my constituents who are completely uninsured. And for those of us with coverage, the status quo is unsustainable and costly: Without health insurance reform, the insurance premium for an average family is expected to rise from $13,000 today to $24,000 in less than a decade. Madame Speaker, my constituents want reduced costs, more choices and expanded coverage.

I support this landmark legislation because it changes the way that insurance companies currently ration medical care: The legislation we are about to pass would require all plans to eliminate coverage denials because of pre-existing conditions, eliminate dropping coverage when individuals become sick, eliminate annual and lifetime caps on how much can be spent on care, and eliminate exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses. Opponents of this bill would rather have the big health-insurance companies dictate the rules. But I think all Americans deserve these basic protections from their health-insurance plans, and these important guarantees will improve the coverage for nearly all those who already have insurance--even those Americans who are extremely satisfied with their current plans.

The Act starts with what works well in today's health care system and fixes the parts that are broken. No one has to give-up the health care they enjoy today--everyone can keep their current health plan, doctors and hospitals. New state marketplaces called exchanges will allow uninsured individuals to shop among a large number of private plans with a core set of benefits. For the first time ever, American families--even those who keep their current health insurance--will benefit from no longer having to worry about losing health coverage because of a new or lost job. The bill finally brings the type of health insurance reform that Americans need and deserve.

Many opposed to comprehensive health-insurance claim there are no immediate benefits to these bills; that somehow nothing happens until the exchanges are set up. Madame Speaker, here are just some of the immediate benefits that take effect this very year: small businesses will receive tax credits for offering health-insurance to their employees; seniors who fall within the infamous Medicare prescription-drug donut hole will receive a $250 rebate; people who have been denied health-care coverage because of a pre-existing condition will be able to get affordable coverage through temporary high-risk pools; children will no longer be callously denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition; annual limits and lifetime limits on the cost of care will start to be prohibited; and also this year, insurance companies will no longer be able to take away an individual's coverage because they get sick.

Madame Speaker, unfortunately, the previous Administration and the former leadership of the House of Representatives never acknowledged the moral or economic costs we pay every day for our failure to make health coverage affordable and accessible for everyone. Today, that ends. Today we recognize that more people with good coverage saves lives and saves costs. Today we unequivocally state that people should not have to go bankrupt to pay their medical bills. And today we finally realize that no one should have to go to an emergency room just to receive routine medical care. I am proud to be voting today to make sure that health-care insurance reform is putting these essential principles into action.

So, Madame Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, H.R. 4872 so that all Americans will have access to health care.

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