Durbin: Healthcare Reform Must Move Forward For All Americans

Press Release

Congress needs to respond to the public's call for comprehensive healthcare reform, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today during a news conference at CommunityHealth Clinic.

"American families need the stability that a reformed healthcare system can offer: stable coverage that cannot be taken away regardless of what lies ahead; stable costs that won't leave them worrying how much more of their paychecks will be eaten away; stable quality so they can count on receiving the treatment they need, when they need it, and from the doctor they choose," Durbin said.

Almost 11,000 people lose their health insurance every day in America. More than 46 million Americans are uninsured. Over the last decade, families have seen their premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance more than double—a growth rate 4 times faster than wages.

In Illinois, 1.8 million people are without health insurance. Nearly one million families have at least one uninsured family member—despite 360,000 of them earning more than $50,000 per year.

"Health reform is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue," Durbin said. "This is an American issue and we need an American solution. Too many parents pray every night that their children won't get sick—not just because they want them to be healthy, but also because they know they might not be able to afford the treatment that might make them well again."

CommunityHealth is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality free health care to uninsured people living in Chicago and the surrounding communities. CommunityHealth is the largest free clinic in Illinois and conducts 20,000 free visits each year for approximately 7,000 patients a year—80 percent of them from working families. The Clinic works with more than 650 volunteers, including 285 physicians from Chicago's leading health care institutions.

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