Baucus Hails Senate Passage of Health Care Reform Improvements

Finance Committee Chairman Helps Lead Senate Passage of Enhancements to Health Care Reform Law

Washington, DC – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) today hailed Senate passage of key improvements to the landmark health care reform law signed by President Obama earlier this week.  This legislation improves affordability by increasing tax credits to help Americans pay for insurance premiums, closes the Medicare prescription drug donut hole and saves taxpayer dollars by attacking waste, fraud and abuse in the current health care system.  As Chairman of the Finance Committee, Baucus drafted a substantial portion of the new health care reform law, as well as the improvements legislation, and helped manage both bills on the Senate floor and steer them to passage.

“The bill we passed today is a set of common-sense improvements to the historic health care reform law.  Americans have been fighting for health care reform for nearly a century and today, the wait is over.  Congress went through the most full and transparent process of any major piece of legislation in memory to pass the landmark bill President Obama signed into law and tackle the health care crisis head on,” Baucus said.  “The new health care reform law guarantees meaningful insurance reform that covers people with pre-existing conditions, gives Americans more access to quality, affordable care and controls the growth of health care costs in years to come.  The improvements passed today build on this landmark law and make health care more affordable for families, seniors, small businesses and federal and state budgets.”

The health care reform improvements bill passed today:

• Makes health insurance more affordable for families and small businesses by increasing tax credits to help pay for insurance premiums;
• Makes Medicare more solvent and closes the Medicare prescription drug donut hole;
• Helps with out-of-pocket costs for lower- and middle-income families;
• Saves taxpayer dollars by fighting waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid;
• Reduces the deficit and reins in health costs; and
• Levels the playing field among states by increasing aid to states to help them shoulder the costs of covering Americans under Medicaid and giving additional help to states that took extra steps to cover the uninsured before reform took place.

Learn more about the historic law that today’s bill improves upon on the Finance Committee website at https://www.finance.senate.gov/meet-steve/steves-priorities/the-affordable-care-act.

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