LVSun: Senate should swiftly approve health insurance reform legislation
The Senate having begun debate Monday on proposed health insurance reform, lawmakers should not lose sight of the reason why this national dialogue is urgently needed. Tens of millions of Americans with inadequate health insurance or none at all do not have access to doctors and medical facilities for regular check-ups and preventive care, creating ridiculously overcrowded hospital emergency rooms and an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.
Many other Americans have been driven to bankruptcy because they are unable to keep up with their medical bills.
That is why this country should be thankful that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is fighting for passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This landmark legislation would help fix a health insurance market that has been broken for decades.
Reid was right when he said: "The health care status quo is not an option for our states."
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The legislation includes a government-backed public option that would enable individuals to obtain affordable insurance if they could not get it elsewhere. This option is needed because insurers have not been willing to provide affordable policies on their own. What the market sorely needs is good, old-fashioned American competition to bring premiums down.
Not only would 518,000 uninsured Nevadans gain insurance under the legislation, according to Reid, but it would also prohibit insurers from stripping consumers of existing coverage or placing lifetime limits on the care they can receive. Additionally, Nevada’s 328,000 Medicare beneficiaries would enjoy lower costs, including reduced spending on prescription drugs, and an additional 24,000 small businesses in the state could gain access to affordable health care through tax credits.
This legislation deserves swift approval in Congress to give all Americans the health care they deserve.
LVSun: Senate should swiftly approve health insurance reform legislation
The Senate having begun debate Monday on proposed health insurance reform, lawmakers should not lose sight of the reason why this national dialogue is urgently needed. Tens of millions of Americans with inadequate health insurance or none at all do not have access to doctors and medical facilities for regular check-ups and preventive care, creating ridiculously overcrowded hospital emergency rooms and an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.
Many other Americans have been driven to bankruptcy because they are unable to keep up with their medical bills.
That is why this country should be thankful that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is fighting for passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This landmark legislation would help fix a health insurance market that has been broken for decades.
Reid was right when he said: "The health care status quo is not an option for our states."
...
The legislation includes a government-backed public option that would enable individuals to obtain affordable insurance if they could not get it elsewhere. This option is needed because insurers have not been willing to provide affordable policies on their own. What the market sorely needs is good, old-fashioned American competition to bring premiums down.
Not only would 518,000 uninsured Nevadans gain insurance under the legislation, according to Reid, but it would also prohibit insurers from stripping consumers of existing coverage or placing lifetime limits on the care they can receive. Additionally, Nevada’s 328,000 Medicare beneficiaries would enjoy lower costs, including reduced spending on prescription drugs, and an additional 24,000 small businesses in the state could gain access to affordable health care through tax credits.
This legislation deserves swift approval in Congress to give all Americans the health care they deserve.
