House Passes Comprehensive Health Insurance Reform Bill

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives set the standard for what real health insurance reform looks like when it passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act earlier this evening. The bill’s affordability provisions will finally make health insurance coverage attainable for millions of individuals and small businesses.

“We are very excited about what this bill will mean for Virginians,” said Nick Williams, Director of Virginia Change That Works. “In Rep. Tom Periello’s district alone, the Affordable Health Care for America Act will allow 16,300 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and provide coverage for 53,000 uninsured residents.”

The House bill offers affordable, stable health insurance for every American for the first time in history. It ensures affordable coverage for 96 percent of Americans, is entirely paid for, and includes a strong public option that drives down costs and holds insurance companies accountable by letting families shop for the health insurance plan that best meets their needs.

Assistance for small businesses is also a vitally important component of the bill. It eliminates skyrocketing premium costs by introducing competition and ending the insurance companies’ stranglehold on local markets. The bill also provides small employers with access to large-group rates in the new Health Insurance Exchange which will enable them to offer a larger choice of plans to employees. In addition, the legislation helps an estimated 3.6 million small businesses afford coverage for their workers.

Gary Loeffler, a licensed building contractor and owner of Loeffler Construction, believes the bill will help his company grow, even through tough economic times by lowering costs associated with health care.

“With the health care costs of every 10 employees I have, I could pay for another person to be employed,” said Loeffler. “There are many instances where know I could have bid on larger jobs if I could have hired just one more employee. This bill is just what we needed.”