Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Announces Impact of Repealing Health Care Reform Law to New Yorkers in the Sixth Congressional District

Press Release

Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (NY-6), Senior Member of the House Committee on Financial Services and House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced examples of specific impacts that the repeal of health insurance reform will have on the constituents of the Sixth Congressional District.

Last March, Congress passed historic healthcare legislation that put Americans and small businesses back in charge of their healthcare choices and provided quality and affordable insurance plans for 95% of the American population. House Republicans are voting today to repeal this plan and increase costs for millions of Americans that will cause many families to lose their coverage and will increase the national debt by over $1 trillion. Here are some of the alterations that New Yorkers in the Sixth District will potentially be impacted by from the repeal of Health care reform:

* Allowing insurance companies to deny coverage to 111,000 to 291,000 individuals, including 8,000 to 38,000 children, with pre-existing conditions.

* Rescinding consumer protections for 377,000 individuals who have health insurance through their employer or the market for private insurance.

* Eliminating health care tax credits for up to 12,000 small businesses and 132,000 families.

* Increasing prescription drug costs for 6,400 seniors who hit the Part D drug "donut hole" and denying new preventive care benefits to 76,000 seniors.

* Increasing the costs of early retiree coverage for up to 9,100 early retirees.

* Eliminating new health care coverage options for 2,600 uninsured young adults.

* Increasing the number of people without health insurance by 48,000 individuals.

* Increasing the costs to hospitals of providing uncompensated care by $54 million annually.

Under the Health Reform law that was passed in March 2010, private health insurance was expanded to allow Americans to choose the insurance plan that best meets their needs through a new market called the Health Insurance Exchange. By repealing these Health Reform laws, this will deny Americans this opportunity and take away this new system that allowed Americans to be in charge of their healthcare. Instead, consumer protection provisions will be eliminated, young adults up to the age of 26 will not be allowed to remain on their parents' insurance policies and insurance companies will no longer be required to provide free preventive care. Additionally, drug costs will increase for seniors and they will be denied new preventive and wellness care. Small businesses will be greatly affected by having their tax credits eliminated and increasing health retiree health care costs for employers.

"By repealing Health Care Reform House Republicans will take away the opportunity for many American families to have quality and affordable health insurance and increase the long-term debt by over $1 trillion. At a time when the country is suffering from an unemployment rate that is higher than the national average, Congress's time is better spent focusing on discussing legislation that will create jobs and stimulate the economy. My constituents and those across this country deserve to be in charge of their healthcare choices and not to be denied coverage by insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions," stated Congressman Meeks.

Now serving in his sixth full-term, Meeks was elected to the House on February 3, 1998. Representing New York's Sixth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, Meeks' district covers all towns of Southeast Queens, Far Rockaway and Howard Beach. He is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Congressman Meeks is the Chairman of the International Monetary Policy & Trade Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. He is a Member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), New Democrats Coalition and the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). He serves as the Co-chair of the Malaysia Caucus, Services Caucus, Dialogue Caucus, OAS Caucus and the Middle East Economic Partnership Caucus.

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