Senator Blanche Lincoln: Every Arkansan Deserves Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care

Lincoln Talks Health Reform with President Obama

June 2, 2009 -- Washington – Following her meeting with President Obama at the White House today, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln said that she was committed to crafting health reform legislation that lowers costs, improves quality of care, and provides access to quality and affordable coverage for all Arkansans.

“Many Arkansas families face rising health care costs and barriers accessing a quality, affordable health plan,” Lincoln said. “Nearly half a million Arkansans are uninsured, including 66,000 children. The majority of uninsured Arkansans are members of working households. The costs in both human and financial terms are felt by everyone. It is one of the most urgent issues facing our nation, and the time for action is now.”

Lincoln is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for drafting health reform legislation. Lincoln stressed that her top priority is to create better access to a range of high quality and more affordable health insurance plans, while protecting what works for Arkansas families and creating greater efficiencies in how our nation delivers care.

“Arkansans want the federal government to be more efficient, and health reform provides us a tremendous opportunity to improve quality of care and lower costs in our health care system,” Lincoln said. “Health care costs already consume 17.6 percent of our nation’s Gross Domestic Product, and that figure will only continue to grow. We are on an unsustainable path, and the cost of doing nothing is a tremendous motivator for making necessary improvements now.”

In addition to the fundamental reforms we must make to our health care delivery system, Lincoln highlighted four goals she is seeking for health reform legislation:

* Guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions;
* Continuity of coverage for people between jobs;
* Maintaining affordability for people who are privately insured; and
* Medicaid eligibility for every uninsured American living in poverty.

Source: Senator Blanche Lincoln