CINCINNATI, OH – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (OH-1) today discussed the critical need to expand Ohio families’ access to quality, affordable healthcare. They were joined by 12-year old Cincinnati resident, Hannah Hartman, who suffers from a seizure disorder, and her family to discuss how health care reform will lower health costs and improve care.

“Health reform is about protecting what works and fixing what is broken,” Brown said. “The Hartman family’s struggle with insurance companies represents a broken part of our health care system. Families with sick children should be able to focus on medical care, rather than battling with insurance companies. Health reform will ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable health care that works for them whether their children are healthy or require constant medical attention.”

“The Hartman’s story is one that I believe is all too common and I think Senator Brown and I benefited greatly from hearing the first-hand account of their struggle,” Driehaus said. “I look forward to continuing my work with healthcare professionals everyday in Cincinnati to develop common sense solutions to the problems that Ohio’s families face.”

Hannah’s mother, Jenny Hartman, shared her family’s concern over finding and maintaining affordable insurance to cover Hannah’s health needs resulting from her seizure disorder.

Brown and Driehaus discussed how health care reform will limit insurers from denying care to children with pre-existing conditions. Approximately 20 percent of school-aged children suffer from a chronic disease including cancer, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. In March, Brown joined congressional colleagues to introduce The Children’s Health Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that would protect children who suffer from chronic diseases from losing their health benefits. The bill would close an insurance loophole and prevent insurers from imposing pre-existing conditions restrictions on children who are 25 or younger. More information about Brown’s legislation, which also protects the growing number of at-risk children with chronic diseases from losing coverage if their parents lose a job with health benefits, can be found here.  

Brown, a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has been actively engaged in deliberations on health care reform. Brown gave an update on health reform legislation being reviewed by the HELP committee. The Affordable Health Choices Act includes the following five major elements:

• Guarantees choice of plan for consumers while affording consumers new, more affordable options;
• Reduces health care costs through market competition, stronger prevention, better quality of care, and steps to root out fraud and abuse;
• Strengthens prevention and wellness programs for millions of Americans;
• Modernizes the health system by investing in training for medical professionals and by better coordinating patient care;
• Improves long term care and services for elderly and disabled Americans.

Brown has been an outspoken advocate for a public health insurance option, which would increase competition in the private insurance market and expand coverage options for Ohio and our nation’s families. In addition to leading 28 of his senate colleagues in the call for a public option, Brown introduced an initiative along with Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV) to establish a public health insurance option. Brown has been working closely in Congress to deliver health reform that maximizes options to expand access to affordable, quality care to all Ohio families.

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