Health Care

It is wrong – both morally and economically – that 46 million Americans are currently without health insurance and millions more are one pink slip or one illness away from losing their health care coverage.  With health insurance premiums rising much faster than family income, and more and more businesses unable to insure their employees and remain competitive, the current system is unsustainable.  Congress must act now.

I support comprehensive health insurance reform that will ensure that insurance companies can no longer drop existing coverage or refuse to cover people with pre-existing conditions.  I believe a public option – establishing an optional non-profit insurance plan for those who prefer it or for those who cannot obtain private insurance – is an important part of comprehensive health care reform, since it will provide competition to lower costs and hold private insurance companies accountable.

Not surprisingly, the full power of the insurance industry and its lobbyists are now arrayed against the passage of meaningful health care reform.  As a U.S. Senator, I will fight against the power of those special interests on behalf of health care reform that serves the needs of millions of Americans and their families.