FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009
Contact: Katie Laning Niebaum, Leah Vest
(202) 224-4843

Lincoln: Health Reform Should Result in Health Care Coverage for All Arkansans

Washington – While the Senate Finance Committee continues its work crafting a health care reform proposal that meets President Obama’s budget targets, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) today said her first priority is that all Arkansans—and all Americans—have access to quality, affordable health care coverage.

“Nearly half a million Arkansans are uninsured, including 66,000 children,” Lincoln said. “The majority of uninsured Arkansans are members of working households, many of them small business owners, employees of small businesses, and self-employed individuals.  The Senate Finance Committee is hard at work putting together our proposal, and my top priority is that we offer access to quality, affordable, sustainable, and meaningful coverage for the 46 million uninsured Americans and the millions more who are under-insured.”

Lincoln said skyrocketing health care costs are hurting our economy, our families, and our businesses, and that reforming health care will offer Americans new, high-quality options and more stability.  As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Lincoln is evaluating various options to provide affordable, high-quality choices in health care coverage, including the “public plan” option and a non-profit co-op health plan to compete alongside private health insurers.

“Rising health care costs are felt by everyone, uninsured and insured alike,” Lincoln said.  “The failure to cover everyone has resulted in congested emergency rooms and higher health care costs passed on by providers and facilities that are obligated to provide treatment regardless of patients’ ability to pay. In fact, the ‘cost shift’ due to our broken system adds about $1,500 to the average family premium and $520 to the average individual premium for Arkansans. Our nation also bears the costs in economic productivity loss, when uninsured workers miss days because of preventable illnesses.  Our nation is on an unsustainable path, and the cost of doing nothing is a tremendous motivator for making necessary improvements now.”

Lincoln also stressed that she will strive to protect what works for Arkansas families and make improvements that will create savings and increase the quality of care patients receive. 

“Many Arkansans are happy with their current health care plan,” Lincoln said.  “Health reform will allow these Arkansans to keep what works.  But we’ll also make improvements that will create savings and increase the quality of care for all Americans.  As we work toward health reform that will offer more stability for all Americans, I will continue to fight for guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions; continuity of coverage for people between jobs; maintaining affordability for people who are privately insured; and Medicaid eligibility for every uninsured American living in poverty.”

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