More than a century in the making

By U.S. Senator Carl Levin
Friday, March 26, 2010

Yesterday we secured a victory more than a century in the making. In approving historic health care reform legislation, we overcame scare tactics, obstructionism and intimidation that sank to unprecedented lows. But unlike so many other previous reform efforts, this one was not knocked off course by misinformation and vitriol.

The legislation we approved this week means the phrase "pre-existing condition" need no longer strike fear in the hearts of ordinary Americans. They need not fear "rescission" -- the deplorable insurance industry practice of canceling coverage you've already paid for.

Senior citizens will see immediate relief from the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole," a gap in coverage that will gradually be closed. And they will receive preventive care without co-payments or deductibles.

Parents will be able to keep their children on their insurance policies until age 26, and patients will be protected from lifetime or annual limits that have forced so many families who thought they were covered into painful decisions about how to pay for life-saving treatment.

We will set up exchanges where insurance companies are forced to compete openly and honestly for business.

We will provide insurance to more than 30 million Americans who are now without coverage, a victory that honors the legacy of Ted Kennedy, Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt.

We'll do all this, and we'll do it in a way Republicans hardly recognize: We'll pay for it, by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay moderately higher Medicare taxes, by cracking down on tax dodges used by the wealthy to avoid their taxes, and by charging a fee to the insurers, device makers and drug companies that will have millions of new customers thanks to these reforms.

By paying for what we accomplish and by taking important steps to control health care costs, we will reduce the budget deficit by an estimated $1.3 trillion dollars over the next two decades.

These are accomplishments that Democrats have sought for decades. Today, thanks to your support, President Obama's leadership and that of our congressional leaders, they are the law of the land. Take a moment to appreciate the historic nature of what you have helped make possible.

We will need your continued support as we continue important tasks such as reforming a Wall Street system that brought our economy to the brink of collapse and education reforms that will help our children achieve all they are capable of.

Best wishes,
Carl Levin