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Josephs: U.S. House passage of health-care reform a victory for Pennsylvanians

HARRISBURG, March 22 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for its passage of legislation that will revamp health care for many Americans.

Josephs said that while not perfect, the measure will ensure that many middle- and lower-income Pennsylvanians are covered by health insurance.

"Last night's House passage is a true victory," she said. "Not only will it ensure that many more people have health insurance, it also will ensure that they get a better product with government removing many of the barriers and restrictions imposed by the behemoth that is the insurance industry.

"The insurance industry will be under new regulation, including no more lifetime dollar limits on health-care policies, no more denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and no more cancelation of policies because the policy holder gets sick. All of these changes will provide more peace of mind that a person's health care will be there when it's needed. These changes also will help ease the strain on hospital emergency rooms that are overburdened by those who come in as the last resort because they have no health insurance.

"The legislation also will help those who can least afford to buy health insurance, from helping to pay premiums to expanding the income guidelines for Medicaid.

"While it is disturbing that this bill makes it more difficult to obtain abortion coverage, because it disregards women's choices, women do stand to benefit. Passage of this bill will guarantee that we can't be charged more for insurance coverage than men and it will give us better access to preventive screenings and tests, and routine reproductive health care," Josephs said. "In some cases, women were denied coverage because a Cesarean section or even domestic violence was considered a pre-existing condition. Insurers will no longer be allowed to do that.

"The current health-care insurance system isn't working, and this historic step forward will help make health insurance better and more affordable," Josephs said. "I commend Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama for their efforts in this monumental achievement."

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