Blog: Should We Take Away Freedom, Choices & Patient Protections?

Statement

About 18 months ago, as Congress debated giving American families more freedom and choices in health care with patient protections from some of the worst abuses of the insurance industry, I asked for your personal take on our health insurance system--what was working and what needed to be fixed based on your own experience. I was moved by the stories I received from families struggling to pay for skyrocketing insurance coverage that they weren't even sure would be there when they needed it most.

I learned of one family paying $750 per month for a high deductible policy with emergency-only coverage--and if they ever used their policy, the next year's premiums could jump another $250 per month. Another constituent told me that his wife's coverage had been retroactively cancelled after their insurer had approved an MRI scan, sticking them with a bill that took three years to pay off.

Your stories played an important role in my work to put families, not the insurance industry, back in charge of their health care. We were able to put an end to some of the worst insurance company practices like dropping your coverage when you get sick or denying payment for a test or treatment without a chance to appeal.

Now, members of the new Republican majority in the House have scheduled a vote that would strip families of their recently fought for freedoms and choices in health care and roll back their new patient protections. This could put medical decisions that should be between you and your doctor back in the hands of insurance companies.

As the vote approaches, I want to hear from you. Do you think Congress should change the law to take away families' freedom and choice in health care and do away with their new patient protections? Would this change affect you personally?

I look forward to hearing from you.

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