Congress and the President are currently developing legislation to reform America’s health insurance system.  This is a landmark and substantial undertaking, and I want to make sure you have the most complete and up to date information about the proposal.  In this section of our website you will find links to my statements and actions on the issue and documents that will answer frequently asked questions and dispel a lot of the myths and falsehoods that are circulating about the bill.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need additional information. 

Brian on the Record

Updated health insurance reform bill:

• H.R. 3962 - Affordable Health Care for America Act as Introduced (Full Text)
• Manager’s Amendment (Full Text)

Support for H.R. 3962 Affordable Health Care for American Act:

• Supporters of the Affordable Health Care for America Act
• Letters of Support

Exchange & Public Option

• Health Insurance Exchange
• Public Health Insurance Option

Why We Need Health Insurance Reform
Americans spend $2.5 trillion, 17% of our Gross Domestic Product, on health care, yet Americans are no healthier despite the exorbitant costs.  It is breaking businesses, individuals and the federal government, forcing families into bankruptcy and companies to choose between coverage and layoffs.

Without reform, health care costs for the average family are expected to increase by $1,800 every year, reaching $24,000 annually by 2016, requiring families to spend approximately 45% of their income on health care.  That would be devastating to our economy and we must take action to stop it from happening.

Opponents of change use scare tactics to warn of a “Canadian system” or a “British system” but the truth is that what is being considered in Congress bears no resemblance to the health systems in those countries.  It proposes a uniquely American model to control costs and improve care, the one currently used at the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic, two of the best health care providers in the United States.

Western New Yorkers know that at the Cleveland Clinic doctors work collaboratively, and the focus is on the quality of care that patients receive rather than maximizing the volume of care.  Cleveland and Mayo have shown that this model of collaboration and integration can lead to the best quality of care at a lower cost.  So the legislation creates a not-for profit, physician driven “public option” health plan that based on the lessons of the Cleveland and Mayo Clinics, to compete with private insurance and drive the cost of health care down and the quality of patient care up.

What does Health Insurance Reform Mean for Me?
In addition to holding down the skyrocketing costs of health insurance, it means you will have more choice.  Health insurance reform will mean Western New Yorkers will no longer have to make job or life decisions based on the fear of losing coverage.  And there will be no need to change doctors or plans; if you like the coverage you have you can keep your current plan.

The health reform legislation also establishes important protections for patients from the most egregious abuses of the insurance industry:

• No discrimination for pre-existing conditions, like a heart condition, or cancer
• No dropping your coverage because you become sick
• No refusal to renew your coverage if you’ve paid in full and become ill
• No co-pays for preventive and wellness care
• No excessive out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
• Yearly caps on what you pay
• No yearly or lifetime cost caps on what insurance companies cover

Our current health care system is unaffordable, unsustainable and unacceptable.  This nation has been talking about health care reform since 1948.  I will continue to work to make sure we don’t lose this opportunity to provide vastly improved health care to Western New Yorkers and to all Americans.

Learn more about health care reform through:

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