What Health Care Reform Means For You

Passage of health care reform is a very big deal. It's the first time in history that we have committed to ending the abuses of the insurance industry and covering every single American.

I voted for health care reform because I listened to Marylanders as they told me their stories. People told me about the situation of their lives at roundtables and hearings, at diners and grocery stores. Thousands more wrote to me and called. They shared with me their fear of one big health care incident leading them into bankruptcy.

I heard from people like Karen from Kensington, whose father had to quit his job because he suffered from Crohn's' Disease. When he was two pennies short on his insurance payment, he lost his coverage. During the six months it took to reinstate his insurance, his health deteriorated. He died a year after his insurance was cancelled. He was just 59 years old when he passed away.

I thought of people like Karen and her father when I was fighting to pass this bill.

This legislation provides long-term health security for all Americans. It saves and strengthens Medicare, extending its life by nearly a decade. It also helps seniors afford their prescription drugs. It establishes a small business health care tax credit to help small businesses cover their workers. It allows young people to stay on their parents' policies until age 26. And it cuts the hassle factor, allowing doctors to spend time with patients instead of paperwork.

This bill also ends the punitive practices of insurance companies by making sure that no American will ever be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

This is a very big deal for women. I am particularly proud of the role that I have played in changing the way that insurance companies treat women. For far too long, they have treated simply being a woman as a pre-existing condition. They used every trick in the book to deny women coverage. In seven states and the District of Columbia, being a victim of domestic violence was considered a pre-existing condition. Women were denied coverage because a medically-mandated c-section was considered a pre-existing condition.

That's why when they tried to take our mammograms away, I said, "No!" I introduced an amendment that guarantees women who enroll in new health care plans coverage of preventive care such as mammograms, pap tests and heart disease screenings with no co-pays or deductibles.

These changes are a monumental step in improving the lives and health of people across the state of Maryland and across the United States. This bill is a leap into the future, and it is a leap we can take with confidence. My job as a U.S. Senator is to provide opportunity for the American people, and health care is one of the greatest opportunities we can provide.