Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) issued the following statement today following the release of a White House report demonstrating the negative impact of health care inaction for Connecticut families, seniors, and small businesses.
“Families, seniors, and small businesses across Connecticut can no longer sustain the broken health care status quo,” said Dodd. “Health care reform will cut costs, protect patient choice, and guarantee every American access to stable, quality, affordable care. For instance, health care reform will help more than half a million Connecticut seniors receive free preventative services like colorectal cancer screenings. Now is the time to pass health care reform.”
According to the report, under the current health care status quo, by 2019 the number of uninsured people will grow by more than 30 percent in 29 states and by at least 10 percent in every state. Alternatively, under health care reform, 356,000 Connecticut residents who do not currently have insurance and 154,000 residents who have non-group insurance could get affordable coverage through the health insurance exchange. 242,000 Connecticut residents could qualify for premium tax credits to help them purchase health coverage, and 37,600 small businesses in the state could be helped by a small business tax credit to make premiums more affordable.
Dodd worked with Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, and members of the Obama Administration to develop a comprehensive bill to ensure that all Americans have access to quality, stable, affordable health care.
