Congressional Documents and Publications

Washington, D.C.--Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement on the manager's amendment filed by Majority Leader Harry Reid today and the path forward on health care reform:

"We continue to make extraordinary progress on health care reform and I commend my colleagues and Leader Reid for refusing to lose sight of what matters most - fixing our broken system so we can make people's lives better.

"While no bill is ever completely perfect - I believe the health bill we are considering in the Senate today is a great step in the right direction and I know it will make a real difference in the health of American families and our economy. This bill gives health care coverage to a record 31 million Americans who are currently uninsured, it provides all Americans with the access to adequate and dependable coverage when they need it most, and it reins in spiraling health care costs - and that is a very great thing.

"I am also very proud to see that the manager's package includes new provisions to further protect health coverage for children and hold private health insurance companies accountable. This package extends the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional two years and eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions for children immediately. It also requires greater transparency in insurance company practices and establishes a minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) provision to create real reform for health insurance companies. I worked very hard to secure the inclusion of these sound policies and have spent my entire career fighting for these consumer safeguards. I know they will help consumers be more informed about their options for health coverage, while also keeping our children and their families strong and secure for generations.

"We're moving forward to pass health care reform, and I am enormously proud to support it."

Key Changes SECURed by Senator Rockefeller IN MANAGER'S PACKAGE:

* Two-Year Extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Additional Improvements for Children: including new authority for states to enroll the children of state employees in CHIP.

* Critical Health Insurance Industry Reforms -

* Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) - Requiring a minimum MLR for private health insurers (including grandfathered plans) so they have to spend more money on medical care and less on profits;

* Requiring plans participating in the exchanges to report on pediatric quality measures as a condition of certification;

* Strengthening the prohibitions on annual and lifetime coverage limits;

* Additional insurance transparency and reporting;

* Comprehensive federal studies of the large group market (including self-insured plans); and

* Protecting consumers from inappropriate out-of-network costs.

* Requiring Medicaid and CHIP Premium Assistance Programs to be Cost-Effective.

* Immediate Elimination of Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions for Children.

* Strengthening of the Independent Medicare Advisory Board: Modest improvements were made in the manager's package, but Senator Rockefeller intends to continue pushing for stronger changes to the Board, including the complete elimination of the provider carve-out.

* Extension of Federal Malpractice Coverage to Free Clinics.

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