WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined colleagues on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee today to announce committee passage of historic health reform legislation. Brown issued the following statement in response:

Sen. Brown and colleagues after the passage of health reform out of committee

“This legislation is for the American people. It’s for American families who can’t afford health coverage and fear that lack of coverage will prevent their children from leading healthy lives. It’s for families who don’t have health insurance at all – because they can’t afford it, their employers don’t provide it, or they’ve been denied coverage from insurance companies because of pre-existing medical conditions. It’s for American businesses that struggle to compete with foreign competitors due to the high costs of health care.

“For these families and businesses, something has to give. But not anymore – this bill is an investment in the security of our families and our economy.

“It was developed with several core principles in mind. Americans who like their current health coverage will be able to keep it. Americans who are uninsured or underinsured will be able to find good coverage and pay a reasonable premium for it.

“It was developed in a deliberate, bipartisan manner, during 23 legislative sessions spanning 13 days. More than 788 amendments were filed, 287 were debated, and 161 amendments offered by Republicans were passed.

“This bill includes a strong public health insurance option designed to increase price competition in the health insurance market and help keep private insurers honest. This bill includes new rules to prevent insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, from terminating coverage to save a buck, or from excluding people from coverage because of age or health history.

“This bill was written for American families, American patients, American businesses, and American taxpayers. This bill will ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable health insurance; improve prevention and wellness initiatives; decrease fraud and abuse in our current system; increase our physician workforce; decrease medical errors and encourage best practices; and ensure that people have choices.

“This bill is a victory for the thousands of Ohioans who’ve shared their struggles with our health care system. It’s about Ohioans who work hard, play by the rules, but still struggle each day with disease and despair. We have an historic opportunity to make fundamental improvements to our nation’s health care system. We must not squander it – not in this nation, not at this time.”

As a member of the Senate HELP Committee, Brown acted as a leading advocate for including a strong public health insurance option in comprehensive health care reform. In May, he introduced a resolution cosponsored by 28 other senators calling for the inclusion of an affordable, public health insurance option in any efforts to reform health care.

###