Health Care Reform Record Goes Around for the 38th Time

Instead of passing a jobs bill, a budget solution, or reforming tax and trade policies that send American jobs overseas, House Republicans last week launched their 38th effort to repeal health care reform – this time by delaying it for a year.

I voted no. Americans have waited long enough for a decent measure of health care security. Truth is, the Affordable Care Act is the first step – not the last step – in our nation’s quest for quality affordable health care.

Meanwhile, this purely political bill would:

·         Deny coverage to up to 112 million Americans with pre-existing conditions (according to the Government Accountability Office)

·         Remove the guarantee that women pay the same premium costs as men for identical coverage

·         Yank young people out of extended coverage under their parents’ plans

The fact is, the health care law is already putting money back in the pockets of millions of Americans, including the 190,000 Eighth District residents – some 39,000 children and 137,000 seniors – who now have health insurance or Medicare without any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.