Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, in his address to the American Medical Association, President Obama said, “Health care reform must be and will be deficit neutral in the next decade.” In light of the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the Kennedy-Dodd health care bill, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today led HELP Committee Republicans in writing a letter to President Obama expressing their desire to work together on legislation that will allow Americans who like the care they have to keep it, while expanding access to coverage for all Americans.
“As the debate on health care reform reaches this critical phase, we are increasingly concerned that this bill costs too much, covers too few, and causes many Americans to lose the coverage they have now,” the Senators wrote. “It does not meet the important benchmark that you set, and with which we strongly agree – if you like the health care plan you have, you can keep it.”
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported yesterday that the Kennedy-Dodd bill will cost $1 trillion, leave over 30 million Americans uninsured, and cause ten million Americans to lose the coverage they have.
“We need a health care reform bill that will reduce health care costs, improve quality, and ensure that every American has access to the care they need. The facts show that the Kennedy-Dodd bill will not meet those standards,” the Senators stated.
“In light of this CBO analysis, we hope that we can work together to change the bill, so that we can accomplish your stated goal of allowing every American who likes their current health insurance to keep it and to provide coverage for every American.”
Every Republican Member of the HELP Committee signed the letter below.
