Health Care Reform

I applaud the courage and tenacity of the U.S. Congress and the leadership of the President for bringing the decades-long health care debate to a vote and passing historic health reform legislation. The Democratic members kept the focus on lifting up the common good of all Americans

Major provisions of the bill would:

• Strengthen coverage by reining in the worst insurance company abuses.

• Help small businesses to provide coverage with new tax credits

• Reduce premiums for many who buy their own coverage by an average of nearly 60 percent –while getting better coverage than what they have today.

• Substantially reduce prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients if they fall Office into that gap in coverage known as the ‘donut hole.’

• Provide the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history to help folks buy coverage.

• No longer determine eligibility by health status or pre-existing conditions - insurance companies will be required to offer coverage and they cannot boost rates or drop you from your coverage when you get sick.

As parents of college age children, my husband and I can keep our children on our insurance plan until the age of 27, if necessary.

Cost estimates by the Congressional Budget Office, show that the bill would reduce
federal budget deficits by $143 billion in the next 10 years. This represents significant savings over our current system and is especially appealing to me.

It is the right thing to do. It confirms the best hopes for our country.

How did Elton Gallegly vote on this? ‘No.’ That is totally unacceptable. He has been holding our country back for too long. It is time for the good and decent people of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to rise up and say, ‘We demand better than this!’”

-Marie Panec