October 16, 2009

Contact: Kristen Bossi

(202) 225-4476

WASHINGTON, DC - After hosting public events in Waterbury, Danbury and Washington, Connecticut in August and meeting with and hearing from constituents throughout the year on health care, Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) wrote a letter today to House leadership asking them to make a change to the health care bill that came straight from Connecticut.  Murphy is requesting that the bill require Members of Congress who take federal health care to purchase their insurance in the newly created health insurance exchange, which would force private plans to compete with each other and a government sponsored plan.

"People have a lot of questions about how this health care reform effort will impact them, their families and their businesses, and some are skeptical that the health insurance exchange will be a better deal.  So in order to make real for Americans that what we are creating will save them money and provide choices in quality care, we need to include Members of Congress who need health care coverage in the exchange," said Murphy.

Murphy wants Members of Congress to be treated like employees of very small businesses are under the House reform bill.  The bill states that in the first year of the law, employers with 10 or fewer employees will be able to have their employees purchase health insurance on an individual basis through the exchange.  The employer would pick up the cost of, for an individual plan, 72.5% of the applicable premium and for a family plan, 65% of the applicable premium. 

America's Affordable Health Choices Act also makes health insurance more affordable by providing tax credits to individuals and businesses to purchase it.  While many people in Connecticut have health insurance that they like, premiums are going up and up.  This summer, Connecticut's biggest insurer announced that it was increasing rates for individuals by over 30%.  And a recent report by Families USA found that of 28,100 Connecticut residents will lose their health coverage in 2009 as a result of losing their jobs.  By the end of the year, Connecticut will be home to 303,000 uninsured adults, up from 275,600 in 2008.

"Clearly, we've got to change our current health care system so that people aren't so vulnerable to losing life saving coverage.  People in Connecticut tell me over and over again that they need choices that they can afford, and that's my main goal in this reform effort," said Murphy.

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