Senator Murray’s Statement on HELP Committee Passage of the Affordable Health Choices Act

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement after the HELP Committee passed the Affordable Health Choices Act. The Affordable Health Choices Act lays out the policy changes for health care reform in America.

“This is a signal to the American people that we are moving full steam ahead. The bill we passed today is an historic step toward lowering costs, guaranteeing access, and modernizing care for every American. It is also a bill that was born out of real negotiation and the inclusion of every voice on our Committee.

“What was passed today is the foundation for meaningful reform. This bill says that health care is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.  It focuses not just on helping people when they are sick, but also on actively keeping them healthy.  It safeguards patient choice, opens the doors of coverage to those with preexisting conditions, and works to boost our long term economic strength. It protects existing coverage when it’s good, improves it when it’s not, and guarantees care for the millions who have none.

“I’m particularly proud that this bill also contains a strong title on building our health care workforce.  If we are going to work to ensure that all Americans have quality, affordable health care coverage, we also need to ensure there are enough health care workers to provide that care. That is why I led the committee in passing provisions that will increase the health care workforce pipeline to ensure access to doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.

“We all know that our health care system is broken. Today we have put forward a major step toward fixing it. The millions of Americans who wake up every day uninsured, underinsured, or unable to afford their insurance are watching intently to see what happens next. We owe it to them to follow through.”

 VISIT SENATOR MURRAY’S NEW HEALTH CARE REFORM WEBSITE

Senator Murray’s site contains selected stories submitted by thousands of Washington state residents fed up with our broken health care system, the latest on health care reform efforts, and video and pictures of some of Senator Murray’s recent health care events.