Current Issues -- Health
Senator Blanche L. Lincoln's views on health issues.

Lincoln: Final Senate Health Reform Bill Good for Arkansas

“I am proud to have played a pivotal role in crafting legislation that is good for Arkansans, and good for our nation.

“After working in the Finance Committee for the last two years on various health insurance reform concepts and debating in the full Senate since November, I believe it is hard for opponents to argue that we are rushing into anything.   In fact, we have had hundreds of member meetings, 11 hearings, three roundtable forums, one bipartisan summit, eight days of mark up in the committee, and a month of debate on the Senate floor. Since March, I have held hundreds of meetings in Arkansas and with many constituents who have traveled to Washington.  Most of my Senate colleagues have done the same.  This has been a very full and healthy exercise of our democracy.

 “For me, this bill has not been about sweet deals or political horse trading. This has been a hard fought battle for the reforms to the health insurance system that I know are good for Arkansas and good for our entire country."

“By making sure we’re getting the biggest bang for our health care dollars, this bill will help get America’s economy back on track and keep us competitive in the global marketplace.

“I fought hard to craft a bill that adheres to the principles that I know many Arkansans share with me. I fought to ensure a full and transparent process, and we have had that. And I successfully fought to protect taxpayers by helping to prevent the creation of a new government health care plan that would be underwritten by American taxpayers.

“For years, Arkansas’s small business owners have told me how skyrocketing health care costs have put them at a competitive disadvantage.  That’s why I fought to establish the health care exchange, where these businesses, their employees, the self-employed, and their families and other individuals will be able to shop for quality, affordable plans.  And 50,000 Arkansas small businesses, with 260,000 workers, will be eligible for the tax relief I authored to help them purchase coverage.  

“Within the health care exchanges, a program similar to the federal employees’ health program will be established.  Insurance plans can be sold nationwide with a proven federal negotiator, the Office of Personnel Management that currently administers plans for federal employees, to help keep insurance rates affordable and ensure plans are abiding by fair rules. I have championed the exchange concept and nationwide health plan idea since 2004.

“Under the revised Senate health plan, Arkansas’s 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries are assured that their guaranteed benefits will not be cut. And as many as 174,660 Arkansas seniors could see up to $1,743 in prescription drug savings starting in 2010 due to the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” reduction.

“From the beginning of this debate, I insisted that this bill be deficit neutral because we in Arkansas care deeply about fiscal responsibility. In fact, the legislation will reduce the deficit by $132 billion in the next 10 years, and $1 trillion in the 10 years after that.  

“Getting where we are today was not easy. We have heard loud voices on both sides of this debate. We have fought back against misinformation campaigns designed to scare Americans.  And we have produced a plan that will help Arkansas’s families and businesses.   

“This legislation ensures that under the new framework you will no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition. It promises that health insurance companies will not be able to raise your rates or drop you because you get sick. You will be able to keep your coverage even if you lose your job.

“Seniors will have the same guaranteed Medicare benefits or better benefits than they receive today, despite disingenuous claims to the contrary. And, small businesses will get the help they need to access coverage, making them more competitive by giving them the same advantage large corporations have enjoyed.”


For information on Senator Lincoln’s work for small businesses in the health insurance reform bill, visit: http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/2009-12-22-1.cfm

For information on Senator Lincoln’s work for seniors in the health insurance reform bill, visit: http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/2009-12-23-4.cfm

For information on Senator Lincoln’s work for hospitals and rural providers in the health insurance reform bill, visit: http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/2009-12-23-2.cfm

For information on the cost of inaction on health insurance reform to Arkansas’s families, visit: http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/2009-12-23-1.cfm

For reviews of the health insurance reform bill from Arkansans, visit: http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/2009-12-22-2.cfm