Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) says Tuesday that she “always tell[s] people three numbers” that she got from Sen. Cardin: six, 12 and 24. Klobuchar explains that “the average American spent $6,000 on their health care just ten years ago. Now the average American family is spending $12,000, and in ten years from now, without any bending of the cost curve, they will be spending $24,000 a year.” (0:31)

 

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By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

During a press conference Tuesday on the importance of health care reform for middle class Americans, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said that health care costs have more than doubled in the past decade and could grow further.

“The average American spent $6,000 on their health care just ten years ago. Now the average American family is spending $12,000, and in ten years from now, without any bending of the cost curve, they will be spending $24,000 a year. If we do not act, these costs will break the backs of the American people,” Klobuchar said.

The senator attributed the numbers to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)

Klobuchar went on to outline what she would like to see brought about through significant reform.

“It is my hope that no one will have to choose between necessary medical care, and their mortgage,” said Klobuchar. “For the middle class, reform will mean stable coverage that can’t be taken away, stable costs that won’t eat away at paychecks and better care.”

Christina Romer, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, says that a report released by the Business Roundtable shows “how far we’ve come” on health care reform since the legislation was first drafted. (0:14)

 

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Christina Romer, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, says that a report released by the Business Roundtable shows that the health care legislation passing through the Senate could save employers up to $3000 by 2019. (0:14)

 

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Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) says that abortion is a controversial issue that should be debated separatelty from health care reform. He calls the Stupak Amendment in the House bill “regrettable.” (0:28)

 

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By John DuBois

Talk Radio News Service-University of New Mexico

The America’s Affordable Health Choices Act that recently passed through the House has put Senate Republicans under pressure.

Quoting a March, 2009, speech by President Obama, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said that the “B” word (Bankruptcy) looms for the country. “That b word is showing up in more and more articles as the cost of health care keeps getting higher,” said Alexander.

In that speech, Obama said: “If people think we could can simply take everybody who’s not insured and load them up in the system where costs are out of control it’s not going to happen. We’ll run out of money and the federal government will be bankrupt and the state governments will be bankrupt.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said that health reform will result in billions of dollars in new taxes nation-wide. The bill would drive up the cost of health insurance premiums and a six point seven billion dollar annual fee that will be imposed on insurers based on market share, she said.

“I have concluded that if any of these bills were to pass Health care costs would actually increase for many Americans the opposite of what we would want for health care reform to produce,” said Collins. “A 40-year-old today buying the most popular insurance policy in the individual market in the state of Maine pays $185 a month. Under the new Senate Finance Committee bill, that 40-year-old would have to pay at least $455 a month for a policy that meets the minimum standards because of new taxes.”

Collins said Democrats and Republicans should “put together a bipartisan bill, that would reduce the number of uninsured, not penalize small business, not drive up the cost of health care and would make a real difference. There are so many areas that have bipartisan agreement on what should be done. I would like to see us work together to try to put together a bill that would do just that. To me, we should rewrite the whole bill. I don’t know that my colleagues would all agree,” she said.

Health care expert Trudy Lieberman says the main thing the House health care bill does is require people to get health care insurance. She says if one is not already insured by an employer or a government program, such as Medicare or Medicaid, one will be required to purchase insurance exchange. (0:35)

 

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Health care expert Trudy Lieberman says it is a little known fact that the public option plan will not be available to “very many people.” She says the public was led to believe that insurance reform would allow anyone to join the public option for lower priced insurance, but that is not the case. (0:21)

 

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Health care expert Trudy Lieberman says there is a “hitch” in the House health care bill that permits insurance companies to charge seniors up to “two times more” for a policy than people in their 30’s. (0:17)

 

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Health Expert Trudy Lieberman says the Affordable Health Care for America Act that passed the House Saturday night will not include any policy that allows federal subsidies to be used for abortion services. (0:19)

 

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