November 04, 2009 11:29 PM UTC

Polis Finally Gets Out of Health Reform's Way

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• by: Colorado Pols

In a press release sent a few minutes ago, Rep. Jared Polis announced that he will support the House’s current health reform bill, H.R. 3962. Full release follows–says Rep. Polis, “Although I found enough fault with the initial version to justify a no vote in committee, my strong support for President Obama’s health care reform has never wavered. I am thrilled to now support a House bill that more closely resembles the President’s plan to ensure health care stability for American families and extend coverage to more Americans.  While ideally I would prefer a bill with no tax increases, the threshold for the surcharge has been raised significantly.”

So, after months of spoon-feeding Republicans their talking points–all’s forgiven, right? What “teachable moments,” given the simple dollar-sign probability (see Big Line) that Rep. Polis is a Congressman for as long as he wants to be, can all involved take away from this experience?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 4, 2009

Contact: Lara Cottingham (Polis) 202-503-6067

Andrew Stoddard (Titus) 202-503-6738

Titus, Polis Pledge Support for Health Care Bill, Praise Surcharge Fix

WASHINGTON-Today, two key Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee-Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Jared Polis (D-CO)-who initially opposed H.R. 3200 when it was before their committee-announced their full support for H.R. 3962, given its lower cost, deficit neutrality, and significant changes made to the surcharge, which improve the bill’s impact on small businesses.

“For more than six months I have discussed the need for health care reform with my constituents, and time and again I heard from small business owners who are struggling to afford health care coverage,” said Titus. “With a large number of small businesses in my suburban Southern Nevada district, it is critical that we do everything we can to strengthen their hand so they can be critical engines of growth in our community.  After having serious concerns about the impact the first health care bill would have on small businesses, I am pleased that the new House bill takes important steps to make health insurance more affordable and accessible for the uninsured, employers, and those with preexisting conditions.”

“Although I found enough fault with the initial version to justify a no vote in committee, my strong support for President Obama’s health care reform has never wavered,” said Polis.  “I am thrilled to now support a House bill that more closely resembles the President’s plan to ensure health care stability for American families and extend coverage to more Americans.  While ideally I would prefer a bill with no tax increases, the threshold for the surcharge has been raised significantly, and I am pleased that this new bill not only reduces the deficit, but also includes no tax increases for most small businesses making less than one million dollars.”

“We both commend House Leadership for addressing and including the concerns we heard from our constituents into the final bill and are proud to join them in support of the fiscally responsible health care reform bill before us today,” concluded Titus and Polis.  

Earlier this year, Polis and Titus voted against H.R. 3200 in committee, primarily in opposition to the surcharge’s impact on small businesses.  During the summer, Titus and Polis led efforts to adjust the surcharge and find a more equitable funding solution in the House bill.

The new House bill-H.R. 3962-released last week, raised the threshold for the surcharge from $280,000 to $500,000 for individuals and from $350,000 to $1 million for families, significantly reducing any negative impact on small businesses, while meeting President Obama’s goal of deficit neutrality and keeping the price of the bill under $900 billion.  Under the higher threshold in the new legislation 98.8% of small business owners will pay no surcharge.

The legislation also includes a Health Insurance Exchange for individuals and small businesses to enter into in order to purchase health insurance at a lower cost.  An amendment offered by Titus and supported by Polis has been included in the bill to increase access for small businesses by increasing the size of small businesses that can enter the exchange.

Without reform, many small businesses would face the steepest rise in insurance premiums in years.  The House bill will allow 18,900 small businesses in Titus’ district and 23,400 in Polis’ district to obtain affordable health care coverage and will provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 16,700 small businesses in Nevada’s Third District and 22,300 small businesses in Colorado’s Second District.

With two key Democrats who opposed the initial version now supporting health care reform, the bill is gaining momentum toward passage in the House.

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