There has been a long debate in our country over the last year regarding the issue of healthcare. I believe everyone has a right to healthcare and we have a moral obligation to make access to healthcare a reality for all in America.
- 47 million people in America lack health insurance and access to healthcare
- One in five people (or 20%) in our district have no health insurance.
- Families and businesses are struggling to find ways to pay for health insurance coverage.
Greedy health insurance companies like Anthem Blue Cross have proposed rate hikes of almost 40% in some areas. This is a slap in the face for citizens because it follows a 56% INCREASE in profits for the five largest health insurers in 2009 according to a study by HCAN (Health Care for America Now).
Rising costs mean that the number of uninsured workers and families will continue to grow, according to a recent AARP article “What Happens If Nothing Happens to Change U.S. Health Care?” The status quo is unsustainable. We must reform our healthcare system. I support the efforts to reform the healthcare system.
I will work hard to improve our system in order to:
- Provide healthcare access to all Americans
- Control the rising costs of healthcare
- Regulate health insurance company practices to eliminate pre-existing conditions that deny people coverage, rescission practices that retroactively cancel policies due to illness
- Strengthen Medicare, so that future generations will continue to be covered under the Medicare program