Washington, D.C.--The following is a statement from Rep. Eliot Engel regarding his “YES” vote on The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). The bill passed by a vote of 220 to 215.

“The House of Representatives made history today. This was one of the most important votes in my 21 years in Congress. I have spent the past ten months meeting with the people of the Bronx, Rockland and Westchester Counties and have had heartbreaking stories shared with me about the inadequacies of their healthcare coverage. As the senior New York Member of the House Energy and Commerce, I am proud to have played a significant role in shaping this legislation. Today, Congress honors our country, honors our citizens, and honors our moral imperative to provide all Americans with comprehensive, affordable access to quality health care.

“This is the reason so many of us keep up our efforts day after day. It is the reason why so many of us sought public office and why our constituents sent us to Congress, to right the wrongs of our broken healthcare system and steer our country back in the right direction.

“Never again will families worry late into the night over whether their pre-existing medical conditions will prevent their loved ones from getting access to health care coverage they so desperately need. Never again will insurance companies be allowed to drop coverage for those who have paid their premiums diligently, only to lose it when they get sick and need it most. Never again will families have to worry that if they lose their jobs, they will also lose their healthcare coverage. That all changes, starting today.

“This is a great day for all Americans from all walks of life – seniors, youth, the sick and the healthy. If you have health insurance, you can keep your doctor and your health plan. You like it, you keep it. It’s that simple. If you don't have health insurance, our bill will help you get covered. Of the 46 million Americans that are uninsured, 85 percent of them are in working families. Millions of Americans desperately want to purchase health insurance and are unable because they’ve been priced out of the system. Fifty-three percent of Americans postpone care or medication because of cost and 60 percent of bankruptcies are related to medical debt. It’s unfair, unsustainable and un-American to allow this failed health care system to continue.

“Insurance companies have long had a chokehold on the market and today we are breaking that. In far too many states, there are only one or two companies providing all the coverage.

“In my heart of hearts I believe a single payer system would be the best reform of our nation’s health care, but I have worked tirelessly over the last year to enact the next best thing - a strong public option. The public option included in the bill will undoubtedly inject competition into the market for better prices and coverage of quality health insurance. With governing and leadership comes a need to negotiate and compromise.

“No longer will women be considered second class citizens when it comes to healthcare coverage. H.R. 3962 supports women’s health care by ending the designation of pregnancy, domestic violence and caesarean sections as pre-existing conditions. It eliminates out-of-pocket expenses for preventive services including mammograms, well-baby and well-child care visits. It also prohibits plans from charging women more for health coverage than men, and guarantees coverage for maternity care.

“H.R. 3962 invests in Medicare and our seniors will see improved benefits, free preventive care, better primary care and lower drug costs. The donut hole, in which seniors pay monthly premiums for drug coverage without a drug benefit, will finally be closed. I have been fighting from the very day we enacted the Medicare Prescription drug benefit to expand the coverage.

“Young adults will have more access to affordable healthcare than ever before. Our bill allows adults to stay on their parents’ healthcare plans until their 27th birthday. This measure alone will cover one out of three uninsured young adults.

“Small business owners will be granted access to affordable large group rates in the new insurance exchange and tax credits to help businesses insure employees across the 17th district and our nation. I met with the Rockland Small Business Association this summer and fought to make health insurance reform workable for small businesses. Approximately 98.8 percent of small business owners will pay no surcharge and 86 percent of America’s businesses are exempt from the shared responsibility requirement to provide insurance. In fact, businesses with payrolls of $500,000 or below are completely exempt from provisions in H.R. 3962.

“Health care troubles have become a common thread in families nationwide. Disease and despair have no trouble crossing party lines. These are the real, tangible numbers that show how the people of my district will be affected by H.R. 3962.

• The 400,000 people in my district with employer-based coverage will see no co-payments or deductibles for preventative care, no rate increases or coverage denials for pre-existing conditions, gender or occupation, and guaranteed oral, vision and hearing benefits for children.
• The 136,000 people in my district without employer-based coverage will be able to purchase coverage at group rates in the health insurance exchange. Individuals and families with an income of up to four times the federal poverty level – up to $88,000 for a family of four – will receive affordability credits to cover the cost.
• The 12,000 people in my district with pre-existing conditions that could prevent them from buying coverage will now be able to purchase affordable coverage.
• Last year, my district had 600 health care-related bankruptcies. In the future, there will be substantially less thanks to the capping of annual out-of-pocket costs at $5,000 for singles and $10,000 for families, and the elimination of lifetime limits on insurance coverage.
• The 91,000 Medicare beneficiaries in my district will receive improved care thanks to free preventative and wellness care, improved primary and coordinated care, improved nursing home quality and strengthened Medicare Trust Fund.
• The 7,000 seniors in my district annually facing the Medicare Part D donut hole, and thus paying full drug costs will get immediate relief to cover the first $500 of donut hole costs in 2010, cutting brand-name drug costs in the donut hole by 50%, and completely eliminating the donut hole by 2019.
• The 15,300 small businesses in my district with up to 100 employees will be able to join the health insurance exchange and benefit from group rates and greater choice.
• The close to 15,000 small businesses in my district with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 will qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance.
• Of the 98,000 uninsured in district, 16% of residents under 65, will have access to coverage. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this legislation will cover 96% of Americans. That means 61,000 New Yorkers in my district will be able to receive coverage.
• Health care providers in district paid $568 million in uncompensated care in 2008 alone. This care was provided to those who lacked insurance and were unable to pay their bills. These costs will now be virtually eliminated.
• Lastly, in order to pay for these reforms we eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and excessive profits for private insurers in Medicare and Medicaid, along with a surcharge on the income of the top 0.3 percent wealthiest individuals. In my district, that affects only 690 households and does not affect 99.76 percent of the district.

“I was proud to be able to add several measures to H.R. 3962 which will benefit millions of Americans. Some of these include:

• Under current Medicaid rules, low-income people with HIV must wait until they are disabled by AIDS before they can get covered by Medicaid. H.R. 3962 allows the states to cover all people with HIV infection under state disability income and resource levels until January 1, 2013, when the new health insurance exchange is operational, at an enhanced federal match.
• I was able to protect New York’s and seven other states' Adult Day Health care programs in Medicaid. These community-based long term care programs provide comprehensive health care services in day settings. Beneficiaries are given nursing, case management, clinical management, medical, diagnostic, social, rehabilitative, recreational and personal care services on a routine, daily basis.
• I have long been a champion for mental health and substance abuse services. My provision will strengthen our capacity to serve people affected by these mental illness and addiction disorders through Federally Qualified Behavioral Health Centers by establishing national standards of care. New reporting and accountability standards for mental health care will further integrate its providers and services within the larger healthcare system.
• Discrimination in benefits against persons with autism is prohibited by including behavioral health treatments as part of the essential benefits package in the House health reform bill.
• There is a shortage of appropriately-trained personnel who can assess, diagnose, treat and support patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A provision was included for the training of these professionals.
• I advocated improving the healthcare for maternity and newborn care in the Medicaid program. H.R. 3962 will extend important child health quality improvement provisions to traditional-eligible childbearing women and newborns and other covered adults younger than age 65. As a result of my provision, the Secretary of Health & Human Services will collect data and make recommendations on improving care for these key populations.
• I fought hard to support the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program, which assists with the cost of caring for uninsured and underinsured people at hospitals. These payments ensure that hospitals are not in financial distress from serving low-income people.

“We stand here as proud Americans determined and ready to transform a broken health care system into a model of care worldwide. The cost of inaction is too great. Today, we answer the call of history, and vote for health insurance reform for America. Our nation’s future depends on it. I look forward to prompt action by the full Senate to make this health reform measure a reality.