CT 04: Himes on board to approve health care reform

Not to be outdone by Congressman Murphy's morning announcement, minutes ago, Congressman Jim Himes released the following statement regarding his upcoming vote on heath care reform.

With premiums skyrocketing every year and thousands of Connecticut families without health insurance, we can’t afford to wait any longer,” said Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4). “This long overdue reform will put Americans back in control of their health insurance choices and ensure that everyone has access to high-quality, affordable health care.”

• Improve coverage for 463,000 residents with health insurance with new protections against premium hikes, annual and lifetime coverage caps, and exclusions because of preexisting conditions.


• Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 94,000 families and 19,700 small businesses to help them afford coverage.


• Improve Medicare for 99,000 beneficiaries, including beginning to close the donut hole.


• Extend coverage to 31,000 uninsured residents.


• Guarantee that 9,300 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.


• Protect 600 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.


• Allow 43,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.


• Provide millions of dollars in new funding for the 4th District’s community health centers.


• Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $20 million annually.

Congressman Himes' office also released a fact sheet outlining how the health care reform package will effect people in the 4th Congressional District.