Health care reform passes the House
Lieberman vows to stop it at the Senate
Congressman Chris Murphy, D-5th Throughout the summer Congressman Chris Murphy, D- 5th Dist., held a number of forums to hear from his constituents in Waterbury, Danbury, Meriden, Simsbury, Avon and Washington about the state of the nation's health care system.
On Nov. 7, Murphy cast his vote in favor of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
"Every night in this country, thousands of children go to sleep, sick in their bed because their mother couldn't afford to get them to the doctor," Murphy said. "And every day, thousands more families file for bankruptcy, losing everything they own, because their loved one got sick and they couldn't afford the bills any more.
This is the most affluent, compassionate nation in the world, and it makes no sense that our health care system leaves so many behind. This bill starts the process of fixing it, for people in Connecticut and across the country."
According to Murphy, the Affordable Health Care for America Act will:
•Reform insurance law to stop discrimination based on pre-existing conditions;
•End the practice of patients losing their insurance if they get too sick;
•Provide tax credits for businesses that give health insurance coverage to their employees;
•Strengthen Medicare by beginning to close the prescription drug "doughnut hole" immediately, cutting co-payments for preventive services, and slashing waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare system; and
•Reduce the deficit while covering 96 percent of Americans with health insurance.
A recent report by Families USA found that 28,100 Connecticut residents will lose their health coverage in 2009 as a re- sult of losing their jobs. By the end of the year, Connecticut will be home to 303,000 uninsured adults, an increase of 10 percent in just one year.
"By fixing the rules of the private health care marketplace, this bill allows small businesses to band together to bargain for lower prices, and give people tax credits to help them pay for insurance," Murphy said. "Our health care system can be fixed by simply making our private system of care work for consumers."
The 220-215 House vote cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on the issue. Connecticut independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman, however, has already sent out warnings.
In a Nov. 8 interview with Fox News Lieberman said that if a government plan is part of the deal, "as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote." Democrats need his vote to overcome Republican filibusters and pass healthcare reform.
