Schwartz on Health Insurance Reform Bill

from the inbox:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz issued the following statement today on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) preliminary analysis of the health care reform legislation that Congress is expected to vote on in the coming days.

“Today’s report from CBO shows health care reform will provide the largest deficit reduction since 1993. This legislation will cut the deficit by $138 billion in the first 10 years and slash it by another $1.2 trillion in the following decade. The bill is fully paid for and more than keeps our promise to the American people that health care reform will not add one dime to the deficit.

“Democrats are keeping promises made to seniors by lowering prescription drug costs, providing better chronic care, free preventive care and adding nearly a decade of solvency for Medicare. Health care reform also makes coverage more affordable for middle class families and businesses, offering one of the largest tax cuts for health care in history, reducing premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and guaranteeing coverage for 95 percent of Americans.

“Failing to enact health care reform means continued double digit premium increases—some as high as 90 percent—arbitrary loss of coverage and huge increases in the national deficit. The status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable for families and businesses across the country and Democrats in Congress are poised to act on comprehensive health care reform. Americans can not wait any longer for the meaningful, affordable coverage they deserve.”