House Delivers On Election Promise. Now Is Time For Senate To Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 9, 2009

CONTACT: Greg Denier, 202-486-2365

The following is the statement of Anna Burger, Chair, Change To Win, on the passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

After generations of struggle and decades of delay, the U.S House of Representatives had the courage to act---and, to pass historic reform legislation to assure every American, regardless of age or income, access to high quality, affordable health care. The House’s action this November is why working men and women turned out at the polls last November. Health care is a key economic concern of working families—and, national health care reform is key to economic recovery and security for working families.

The leadership, determination, and commitment of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi to deliver on the promise of the 2008 election helped clear an important hurdle on the path to final enactment of health care reform. The more than 5 million working men and women of the unions of Change to Win thank the President, the Speaker and all House Members who voted for passage. They stood up to the insurance companies and the special interests. They kept faith with America.

Now is time for the Senate to act. 

The American people pay a terrible price for every day of indecision and delay. Every day thousands of Americans lose health care coverage. Every day more and more Americans go without needed care for lack of health insurance. And every day more and more Americans suffer preventable illness and death as result of a health care system that leaves too many uninsured and too many without basic care.

The debate about the need for change is over. The Senate must act immediately to pass legislation that extends coverage, gives working families choice and access to affordable care, reduces costs; and provides for shared responsibility and adequate funding with an employer mandate, progressive funding with no tax increase or benefit cut on the middle class, and the elimination of inefficiencies and waste in the system.

This is the change we voted for. This is the change we believe in.