Senator Reid’s Proposal Augurs Well for Passing Health Reform This Year

Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid outlined the details of the proposed health reform bill that will be debated on the Senate floor. That bill is an amalgam of the bills previously adopted by the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of the health consumer organization Families USA, about this development:

“We applaud Senator Reid for his leadership in developing a health reform bill that meets the key objectives of decelerating costs, increasing coverage, improving quality of care, and stopping abusive insurance company practices. The Senator’s proposal constitutes a giant step toward the goal of securing high-quality, affordable health coverage and care for America’s families.

“Today’s announcement augurs well for passing health reform this year. In the multi-decade history of health reform, we have never come so close to enacting meaningful legislation. Senator Reid’s announcement today moves us one step closer.

“At this stage in the debate, nothing is more important than securing the 60 Senate votes needed to keep the health reform process moving toward a conference committee with the House. Along with Senator Reid and his colleagues, we at Families USA intend to work vigorously and enthusiastically to secure that support.

“We will do so as we continue to work toward strengthening the final legislation to further improve the affordability of health coverage, especially for those whose low incomes make it difficult to pay for health insurance today.”

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org