Norton Tells Why Affordable Health for America Passed Tonight is Good for the Nation & for DC

Norton Tells Why Affordable Health for America Passed Tonight is Good for the Nation and for D.C.

November 7, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) took steps to ensure that the Affordable Health Care for America Act passed by the House tonight would treat the District equally with the 50 states. Consequently, the bill would provide coverage for 14,000 uninsured D.C. residents; would provide affordability credits to 134,000 D.C. families to help pay for coverage; would improve employer-based coverage for 363,000 District residents; would improve Medicare for 75,000 D.C. seniors, including closing the prescription drug donut hole for 3,300 seniors; and provide preventative care and wellness check-ups for all seniors. It would allow 22,200 D.C. small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage; would save about 400 District families from bankruptcy resulting from unaffordable health costs. The bill also would reduce the cost of uncompensated care by $126 million for the District's hospitals and health care providers besieged by these costs.

Norton said, "I am proud of the remarkable advances made by the bill, even though it does not meet all that I pressed to achieve. The Congress, of course, is not known for perfect bills, but the extraordinary diversity of our Democratic Caucus - from right to left - has ensured that this bill represents a cross-section of the American public - urban, suburban, and rural. The incredible diversity of the Democratic Caucus, representing Republican, right-leaning, moderate, and progressive areas, meant that we could go to the floor only with a bill that sensitively put all of America together into one convincing bill. That is why we have produced a bill that satisfies deficit hawks, who are more wary of increasing deficits than of any other issue, as well as single-payer advocates, who believe that only Medicare for all can markedly reduce costs while providing adequate health care to the middle class and the uninsured. Thus, there can be no doubt that the Affordable Health Care for America Act is a balanced bill."

The Congresswoman said that the bill's greatest achievements are that it would reduce the deficit over the next 10 years and into the future while covering 96 percent of the American people; would end discrimination by insurers who dropped or refused to renew or sell coverage; and would ensure that coverage is affordable by providing subsidies for people in employer-based health care or through an insurance exchange of private insurers and a consumer option to drive down the cost of health care while operating on a level playing field with other insurers.

"I particularly support this bill because it will lift the burden that the District heroically took on, beginning with the Williams administration, to offer health care to the uninsured, without any assistance from the federal government, rather than subject them, as well as the District government, to emergency room care, the most expensive available," Norton said. The District's Health Care Alliance, which provided insurance to more than 50,000 residents, lacking health insurance, but who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, "is collapsing under the weight of increasing requests from individuals without insurance," Norton said. The city had to cut its Health Alliance budget this year to 46,000 individuals, although a year ago 48,000 individuals had registered and 55,000 were expected to register in the 2010 fiscal year.

At her "Fact Check Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform", which observers said was notable for its civility and the diversity of residents attending, it was apparent that District residents strongly support the approach taken by today's bill. By September, Norton's office had received 2,000 contacts on health care reform, almost all supporting the reform efforts in the House, with only nine residents expressing opposition to any reform. Also, 276 District residents had written in opposition to parts of the proposed bill, with 220 of those opposed to the public plan. Most who opposed the public plan, Norton said, appeared to believe that such a plan would affect their employer-based plan, which this bill ensures cannot happen.

Norton said that the bill is "strong and compelling enough to offer stiff resistance in the Senate to those who have been unwilling to take on the special interests, who now believe their best hope is in the Senate."

WASHINGTON, DC - The following is Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's floor statement on why the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009 is good for the nation and good for the District of Columbia.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Statement on H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act

November 7, 2009

Madam Speaker. I support the Affordable Health Care for America Act both because of the extraordinary step forward it brings the nation and my district, the District of Columbia. First, I took steps to assure that the Affordable Health Care for America Act we expect to pass tonight would treat the District equally with the 50 states (although it does not do so for the territories). Consequently, the bill will provide coverage for 14,000 uninsured D.C. residents and affordable credits to help up to 134,000 D.C. families pay for coverage; will improve employer-based coverage for 363,000 District residents; will improve Medicare for 75,000 D.C. seniors, including closing the prescription drug donut hole for 3,300 seniors, as well as providing free preventative care and wellness check-ups for all seniors; will allow 22,200 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage; and will save about 400 District families from bankruptcy resulting from unaffordable health costs. The bill also will reduce the cost of uncompensated care by $126 million for the District's besieged hospitals and health care providers.

I am proud of the remarkable advances made by our bill, even though it does not meet all that I pressed to achieve. The Congress, of course, is not known for perfect bills, but the extraordinary diversity of our Democratic Caucus - from right to left - has assured that this bill represents a cross-section of the American public - urban, suburban, and rural. The incredible diversity of the Democratic Caucus, representing Republican, right-leaning, moderate, and progressive areas, meant that we could go to the floor only with a bill that sensitively put all of America together into one convincing bill. That is why we have produced a bill that satisfies deficit hawks, more wary of increasing deficits than of any other issue as well as single-payer advocates, who believe that only Medicare for all can sufficiently reduce costs while providing adequate health care to the middle class and the uninsured. Thus, there can be no doubt that the Affordable Health Care for America Act is a balanced bill.

The bill's greatest achievements are that it will reduce the deficit over the next 10 years and into the future while covering 96 percent of the American people; will end discrimination by insurers who dropped or refused to renew or sell coverage because of health status; and will ensure that coverage is affordable by providing subsidies for people in employer-based health care or through the insurance exchange of private insurers as well as a consumer option to drive down the cost of health care while operating on a level playing field with other insurers.

I particularly support this bill because it will take off the burden that the District of Columbia heroically took on, beginning with the Williams administration, to offer health care to the uninsured, without any assistance from the federal government, rather than subject them, as well as the District, to costly emergency room care, the most expensive available. The District's Health Care Alliance, which provides insurance to more than 50,000 residents lacking health insurance, who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare is collapsing under the weight of increasing requests from individuals without insurance. The city had to cut its Health Alliance budget this year to 46,000 individuals, although a year ago 48,000 individuals had registered and 55,000 were expected to register in the 2010 fiscal year.

At my "Fact Check Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform", which observers said was notable for its civility and the diversity of residents attending, it was apparent that District residents strongly support the approach taken by today's bill. By September, my office had received 2,000 contacts on health care reform, almost all supporting the reform efforts underway in the House, with only nine residents expressing opposition to any reform. Also, 276 District residents had written in opposition to parts of the proposed bill, and 220 of them opposed the public plan. Most who supported the public plan, appeared to believe that such a plan would affect their employer-based plans, which this bill ensures cannot happen.

I believe that the bill is strong and compelling enough to offer stiff resilience to those who have been unwilling to take on the special interests who may now believe their best hope is in the Senate. Tonight, this bill provides the best hope for the health care of our nation's long-suffering people.