A major thank you is in order to Sen. Rockefeller for supporting one.
WV Health Care for America Now Coalition Thanks Senator Rockefeller for Support of a new Public Health Insurance Plan
Sixteen Senators sign letter to Chairman Kennedy and Chairman Baucus insisting health care reform legislation includes public health insurance option
*** Read the Letter here: http://brown.senate.gov/imo/me... ***
Charleston WV - Health care advocates from West Virginia's Health Care for America Now (HCAN) coalition released the following statement today thanking Senator Rockefeller for supporting the choice of a public health insurance plan - a key component of President Obama's and Health Care for America Now's vision for achieving a guarantee quality, affordable health care for all this year:
"We applaud Senator Rockefeller for emphasizing at this critical time how important it is that health care reform legislation includes the option of a public health insurance plan. We need a choice and an alternative so we are no longer at the mercy of the profit-driven private health insurance industry," said Gary Zuckett from WV Citizen Action. "Senator Rockefeller clearly understands we need health care reform that puts what's best for the people of West Virginia before special interests that profit off the current system and who only want reforms that continue to make them money and deny us access to quality, affordable health care."
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote the letter to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (MA-D) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (MT-D) expressing the need to include a public health insurance option in order to set 'the standard for quality, efficiency, and cost.' Fifteen other Senators, including Senator Rockefeller, signed the letter which says that while private insurance industry reform is important, it alone is not enough to guarantee we achieve quality, affordable health care for all in 2009.
Senator Brown's press release (including quote from Senator Rockefeller)
Letter to Senator Kennedy and Senator Baucus (PDF)
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A public health insurance option is necessary to maintain strong competition with private insurance plans and to make sure insurance is available for everyone. The more private insurance companies complain about the option, the more convinced I am we need it!
