This morning, Rep. George Miller published an op-ed in the Vacaville Reporter about the need for affordable health care for everyone. Below it is excerpted in its entirety.
Readers of this paper will know that, for much of this year, Congress and President Obama have grappled with one of the most important and complicated issues affecting our nation's economy and our community: health insurance reform.
I am proud to announce that on Thursday we introduced revised legislation that addresses many concerns raised about reform and brings us closer than ever to delivering on the long-held promise of quality and affordable health care for each of us.
I am a principal co-author of the bill.
Since three House committees passed a bill this summer, we have worked hard to incorporate changes and improvements suggested by people from across the political spectrum. Our revised bill directly addresses the needs of American families. It will:
One of the biggest concerns I heard throughout this process was about the bill's cost. Let me be clear: Our reforms are fully paid for and will not increase the federal deficit. In fact, our revised bill will reduce the deficit by at least $30 billion over the next 10 years.
- Not increase the deficit.
- Curb out-of-control costs that are bankrupting families and employers.
- Strengthen Medicare for seniors, in part by closing the prescription drug "donut hole" and by making the program sustainable for years to come.
- Protect people against discriminatory insurance company practices. We eliminate so-called "pre-existing" condition denials, stop insurance companies from dropping coverage if you get sick, and establish yearly caps on what you will pay out-of-pocket.
- Keep premiums affordable and insurance companies honest by ensuring competition in the health care marketplace through inclusion of a public consumer option. People in California will be able to choose from multiple private options, such as Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente and others, or choose a public plan that offers the best quality at the best price -- just as they do on Expedia.
- Offer affordability credits to ensure that low-income and middle-class families can pay for coverage, and ensure that small businesses can actually help cover their employees.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of our reforms at $894 billion. More than half of this cost will be offset through a combination of savings generated by making Medicare and Medi-Cal more efficient and implementing new technology, but we do not cut services for seniors or low-income individuals. We improve care for people served by these critical programs.
The rest of the bill's costs are paid for by a surcharge on the wealthiest 0.3 percent of U.S. households-- married couples earning over $1 million dollars and individuals earning more than half a million dollars annually.
For the past 70 years, Americans have battled hard for the right to quality, affordable health care. While we still have hard work ahead, next week the House will vote on our truly historic legislation and get us closer than ever to achieving what generations of Americans have been fighting for.
