Barack Obama Campaign Statement on High Costs of Health Care

August 20, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Today, Barack Obama Campaign Policy Director Heather Higginbottom responded to a new report which found that 41 percent of working-age adults, or 72 million people, reported a problem paying their medical bills or had accrued medical debt, up from 34 percent, or 58 million, in 2005.

The report, "Losing Ground: How the Loss of Adequate Health Insurance Is Burdening Working Families," by the Commonwealth Fund, also showed that 41 percent of people with incomes from $20,000 to $40,000 went without health insurance in 2007, up from 28 percent in 2001.

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"This report tells us once again our families deserve health care reform that lowers costs and covers all Americans. Senator Obama’s health care plan would cut costs by $2500 for a typical family, cover all Americans and get tough on insurance companies, so that our health care system puts patients first again. Unfortunately, Senator McCain’s health care plan will make the problems in our health care system far worse by radically restructuring the system, taxing health care benefits for the first time, and providing incentives to employers to drop health care coverage," Higginbottom said.

Source: Barack Obama campaign