Rep. Eshoo: "We Stand On the Threshold of Achieving an Extraordinary Goal"

Washington, D.C. - At a ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi unveiled H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, health insurance reform legislation which the House is expected to vote on next week.  If passed, the bill-which blends the legislation passed by three House Committees-will ensure that 96% of Americans receive quality, affordable insurance, while reducing the federal deficit by at least $30 billion over ten years. 

"Ever since President Teddy Roosevelt called for healthcare reform in 1912, both Democratic and Republican Presidents have strived to enact reform.   Today, this Congress stands on the threshold of achieving this extraordinary goal. I welcome this historic moment and I am privileged to be a part of it.

"The Affordable Health Care for America Act will allow every American affordable access to healthcare through the creation of a competitive marketplace and a strong public option.  It contains simple solutions to shore up holes in our current system, such as phasing out the "donut hole" in the Medicare Part D drug benefit and allowing young people to remain covered under their parents' plans until they are 27 years old. 

"The bill protects consumers from the excesses of private insurers, ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, finally allowing coverage to those who need it most.  It repeals the antitrust exemption so that companies are no longer shielded from liability for fixing prices, dividing up territories, or monopolizing the market, and it bans the practice of insurers dropping patients who they deem to be too sick or expensive.

"While our work is not yet complete, we have taken another critical step in this effort.  I look forward to casting my vote on the floor of the House of Representatives to pass this historic healthcare reform legislation."

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