Nashuatelegraph.com - Shaheen Pushing Health Care Change

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By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer
klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen joined eight other freshmen senators in pressing for action on health care reform this fall.

Shaheen, a Democrat and former governor, said small business owners and individuals cannot withstand the spiraling increase in cost of health insurance premiums.

"Time and time again, we have heard that our health care system is not working,'' Shaheen said in her prepared remarks.

"Costs are too high and access too limited. The status quo is unsustainable, now is the time to act.''

Shaheen has said she supports consumers having a government-run insurance option to private insurance.

"In New Hampshire, our small businesses are feeling this burden first hand. From 2002 to 2006, there was more than a 40 percent increase in the premiums businesses in my state paid for an individual plan for their workers,'' Shaheen said.

She is co-author of changes to Medicare to give better preventative care for seniors to avoid hospital readmissions and offer more affordable options in their coverage.

"This will improve the quality of health care for our seniors and save taxpayers money,'' Shaheen said.

"And for our smallest businesses, those with fewer than 10 employees, the increase was almost double -- a more than 70 percent increase. This means that although our small-business owners want to provide their employees with health insurance, many of them can't.''

Shaheen said if reform doesn't come, the cost facing the average family will rise to $25,000 in 2019, up from $14,600 currently.

New Hampshire's other senator, Republican Judd Gregg, opposes the Senate Finance Committee health care plan and instead favors a bipartisan alternative that would provide tort reform and an end to state-by-state barriers for health insurers.

Kevin Landrigan can be reached at 321-7040 or klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com.

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