DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Issues Statement Following Senate HELP Committee’s Release of Health Care Reform Bill Congratulates President Obama for His Bold Commitment to Enacting Reform This Year, and Chairman Kennedy and Senator Dodd for Their Leadership
Jul 02, 02:02 PM CST
For Immediate Release
July 2, 2009
Washington – Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement after the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) released its health care reform legislation.
“The bill released by the Senate’s HELP Committee today follows the guidelines President Obama has laid out, by reforming our health care system to lower costs, protect choice and expands access of quality, affordable care to more Americans. According to a review by the Congressional Budget Office, the plan is deficit neutral and will cover 97 percent of Americans, more than was originally estimated.
“For too long, Washington has failed to tackle health care reform and control the skyrocketing costs that are hurting American families and crushing American businesses. Today, thanks to the bold commitment President Obama has made to fixing our broken system, and the strong leadership provided by Chairman Kennedy (MA) and Senator Dodd (CT) in the Senate, we are moving towards reform that decreases out-of-pocket costs for families, increases employer responsibility and improves the overall quality of care.
“The bill includes a strong public option, which will keep private insurers honest, while expanding consumer choice and lowering costs, and a health insurance exchange – where Americans can compare and contrast plans and pick the one that’s right for them.
“I congratulate Senators Kennedy, Dodd and the rest of the Democrats on the HELP committee for all their hard work so far, and look forward to working with the President and the our Democratic congressional leaders to enact comprehensive health care reform this year. Now is the time to act – American families and businesses can’t afford to wait.”
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Contact: DNC Press, 202-863-8148
– by Lisa Olivares | Send this to a friend
