Polis Hails Passage Of Historic Healthcare Legislation

Statement

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) issued the following statement today after joining a majority of the House of Representatives in passing comprehensive healthcare reform legislation.

"For nearly a year now I have listened to my constituents about the need for healthcare reform, and heard from seniors, students, and small business owners in my district--all of whom are struggling to find quality and affordable healthcare--and devoted my efforts to find a solution," said Polis. "Healthcare should make our lives better, not worse. After months of discussion and debate, I am proud to say the bill we passed today will improve the lives of 30 million uninsured Americans, and immediately help millions more by closing the Medicare Donut hole, allowing students to stay insured under their parents, and reducing our federal deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years."

Congressman Polis personally took on the cause of ensuring that healthcare legislation boosts small businesses--the economic engine of the American economy and job growth--many of which cannot afford to provide coverage and desperately need affordable access to healthcare insurance.

Under today's legislation, small businesses with 100 employees or less will be able to join the health insurance exchange, benefiting from group rates and a greater choice of insurers. Additionally, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $50,000 will qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance. In Colorado's second Congressional district, 23,400 small businesses would benefit by joining the health insurance exchange and up to 22,300 small businesses would qualify for health insurance tax credits.

"Jared Polis has worked hard to ensure that the final health insurance reform package benefits Colorado's working families and small businesses," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "Jared's leadership was crucial to our Caucus achieving consensus on key provisions of this historic legislation."

Benefits for the second Congressional district of Colorado include:

* Improve coverage for 505,000 residents with health insurance.
* Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 145,000 families and 22,300 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
* Improve Medicare for 65,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
* Extend coverage to 64,500 uninsured residents.
* Guarantee that 14,100 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
* Protect 1,400 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
* Allow 65,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents' insurance plans.
* Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 18 community health centers.
* Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $29 million annually.

A fact sheet on the benefits for the second Congressional district of Colorado is available at the Energy & Commerce Committee's website: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/health_care/districts/new/CO2.Polis.pdf

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