I got this reponse from Senator Mark Begich today about an email I sent to his office last Friday asking him how he was planning to vote on Saturday, November 21. This was his response. I added the bold highlighting:Thank you for contacting me regarding insurance and health care reforms. I appreciate your taking time to share your thoughts regarding plans in Congress to address the complex issues of insurance and health care costs. I believe health care should be accessible and affordable for all Americans. On November 21 I voted in favor of the motion to proceed to debate on the Senate health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). This was not a final vote on health care reform. It was a procedural vote allowing the bill to be available for debate before the full Senate. Alaskans and all Americans deserve a full debate on this important issue. I look forward to the debate because the need for insurance and health care reform is great. Medical costs are out of control and now compose one-sixth of the national economy. More than 133,000 Alaskans are uninsured - nearly 20 percent of our states' population. The cost of their uncompensated care is passed on to those with insurance. This means Alaska families, on average, pay an additional $1,900 a year in premium costs due to this "hidden tax" and insurance premiums for individuals are $710 higher than they should be. In its current form, H.R. 3590 is estimated to provide health coverage for 31 million more Americans. This means more than 94 percent of all Americans will have health care coverage. Additionally, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would provide Americans the security of:
o No discrimination for pre-existing conditions,
o No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays,
o No cost-sharing for preventative care,
o No dropping of coverage for seriously ill,
o No gender discrimination,
o No lifetime caps on coverage,
o Children continue to be eligible for family coverage until age 26,
o Insurance companies can't refuse renewal because someone became sick.
Health care insurance reform is essential for small businesses. Many small businesses, providing more than half the jobs in Alaska, are dropping health insurance for their workers because they can't afford it, or they are continuing to provide insurance but cannot afford to hire new workers or invest in expansion. Under H.R.3950, employers with 50 or fewer workers would be exempt from employer responsibility provisions.
Businesses with fewer than 25 employees wanting to cover their workers would receive sliding-scale affordability tax credits. An estimated 3.6 million businesses across the nation would qualify. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit and curb runaway health care costs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the H.R. 3950 would cut the budget deficit by $127 billion over ten years.
In the second decade of implementation, the bill would reduce the deficit by $650 billion. I do not believe the legislative process is moving too fast. The current health reform discussion has been underway in Washington since January, and before then health care has been a major topic in the United States for many years. As this process continues to move forward,
I assure you I am following it closely and will read the final version of the bill in its entirety before voting. You may also read the bill. It is posted on my website,
http://begich.senate.gov. Again, thank you for contacting me. I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to make health care affordable, and will keep your comments in mind as I do so.
Sincerely, Mark Begich U.S. Senator
