Garamendi Statement on Updated CBO Analysis of Affordable Care Act Showing $109 Billion Deficit Reduction Over Ten Years
Washington, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), California’s Insurance Commissioner for eight years and President Bill Clinton’s former health care advisor, today released the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an updated analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that showed the bill will reduce the deficit by $109 billion over ten years and $1.5 trillion dollars in the second decade:
"I was proud to vote for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, because as California’s first elected Insurance Commissioner, I know all too well that without a referee leveling the playing field, the insurance industry will always put its profits ahead of the people it is supposed to serve. We have a moral obligation to help people. Commonsense reforms in the Affordable Care Act, including those found in the Patient’s Bill of Rights, not only improve care for millions of Americans, but they also reduce costs in the overall health system, helping us responsibly reduce the deficit.
"Let’s be clear. House Republicans have voted more than 30 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This means they have voted repeatedly to allow children with pre-existing conditions to be denied coverage. It means they have voted to increase prescription drug costs for seniors and to deny all of us free preventative and wellness screenings. It means they have voted for to end the state insurance exchanges that will create competitive online stores for insurance, denying entrepreneurs and small business owners and employees access to affordable coverage. It means they want to preserve a more expensive system with worse results.
"America can no longer afford to do nothing, and every American senior, child, and working family deserves the peace of mind that comes with good, affordable coverage."
As California’s Insurance Commissioner, Congressman Garamendi authored a state health insurance plan that would have covered almost all Californians, but it was vetoed by then-Governor Pete Wilson. While California’s Insurance Commissioner, Garamendi published "Priced Out", a report that highlighted the problems associated with health care delivery in California and offered more than 50 concrete recommendations to improve care and access. As a state legislator, Garamendi authored the Rural Health Services Act of 1976, which expanded community clinics in unserved and underserved areas and provided health care for hundreds of thousands Californians. Garamendi served as a health care advisor to then-candidate Bill Clinton during his 1991-1992 run for President.