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Baltimore, Md.— Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings released the following statement reiterating his support of a public option in any health care reform legislation:
“Health care reform is one of the greatest and most important legislative decisions of our lifetime, and we cannot afford to get it wrong. We must move quickly to fix the broken health care system, but we must also be sure that we don’t allow politics and lobbyists to manipulate this bill into something that does not meet the standards that the American people deserve. We must be sure that we have legislation that includes a public option—it would be unfair to require all Americans to purchase health insurance without the guarantee of an affordable option provided by true competition.
“The public option is based on the same fundamental principle upon which our entire nation was built: competition. A competitive environment will put an end to the practices that have left so many families with outrageous medical bills and substandard medical care while leaving insurance company executives with fat wallets. The public option will ensure that companies provide Americans with quality, affordable plans that are based on common sense and recommendations of doctors and other medical experts.
“We only have one opportunity to get this legislation right, and we must stand strong together and fight for reform that will truly make a difference. This is simply too important to make concessions that will fundamentally alter the composition and effectiveness of the bill. President Obama has emphasized the importance of the public option in the past, and we cannot afford to drop such a critical component of reform in favor of another option that isn’t guaranteed to make any significant difference in the status quo.
“The status quo hurts every single individual in this country, whether it’s the breast cancer survivor or asthmatic child who can’t get coverage because of a pre-existing condition, the family who simply can’t afford the skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs and premiums, or the millions of the insured who each pay an extra $1,100 in premiums to compensate for the costs of the uninsured. Every day, additional Americans lose their health insurance or are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Families are driven to bankruptcy because of medical bills. Children cannot see doctors when they get sick. Employers are forced to leave their employees without coverage because they just can’t afford the costs. The need for health care reform—with a public option—is clear.”
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