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Congressman Crowley’s Guiding Principles for Health Care Reform

When the health care debate first began, I laid out a set of guiding principles I believed had to be at the center of any health care reform measure. I am proud to say President Obama and the Democratic Congress have delivered. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will:

• Keep Insurance Companies Honest: Starting immediately, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage to children. In 2014, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage or raising rates because of a person’s age, gender or if they have a pre-existing condition (such as cancer, diabetes or asthma).
• Help Small Businesses: The Democratic bill will help small businesses stay competitive by providing those with up to 100 employees access to state-based health exchanges where they can purchase quality insurance. Also, businesses with 25 or fewer employees are either exempt from providing coverage, or if they do purchase insurance for their employees, they will have the benefit of tax credits to help pay for it.
• Contain Costs & Maintain Benefits: Since 1987, the cost of the average family health insurance policy has risen from 7% of median family income to 17%. Health reform will help stem this steep rise in costs by requiring insurance companies to report any premium increases and subjecting them to rate reviews, to ensure they don’t pad their bottom line at the expense of patients.
• Be Fully Paid For: From 2001 to 2009, the national debt doubled from $5.7 trillion to $11.5 trillion. The burden of this debt is hurting our economy. The Democrat-crafted health reform measure will, according to the Congressional Budget Office, reduce our nation’s deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years.
• Build on What Works: 82% of workers have some form of employer-sponsored health insurance. Of that, 71% are pleased with their current coverage. That is why the Democratic bill encourages large employers to maintain the insurance coverage they currently provide to their employees, so Americans can keep their current health care plan. At the same time, small businesses – the backbone of the American economy – will be offered tax breaks to help offset the cost of providing health insurance to their employees.
• Strengthen Benefits for Seniors: Seniors deserve peace of mind, and that requires access to quality, affordable medical care. That is why the health reform measure expands Medicare benefits by eliminating all deductibles and co-pays for preventive medicine, while also closing the gap in prescription drug coverage in the Part D program. The gap will immediately be cut by $250 and will be phased out completely by 2020.
• Keep Kids Healthy: Children and young adults will be able to remain on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26 – helping to keep our youth stay healthy.