The context of Senator Durbin's promise to the people of Illinois:
"The Senate bill builds on what works in our current system and takes the necessary steps to correct what is broken, Durbin said. First and foremost, it stays true to the President's call that if you like what you have, you can keep it. The bill also makes health insurance more affordable to all Americans - including people who are self-employed or work for a small business, people who have a pre-existing condition, and people who change jobs or lose their jobs. Insurance companies will no longer be able to place limits on coverage or ration care when people need it the most.
"The bill helps to lower health care costs by emphasizing prevention and healthy lifestyles, and by cracking down on waste, fraud, and unnecessary administrative expenses in health care. And it strengthens Medicare for the future while expanding access to preventive care now. According to the independent Congressional Budget Office, Senate-passed bill reduces the federal budget deficit by $130 billion over the next 10 years and by as much as $1.3 trillion over the following decade, by reining in out of control health care costs."
It goes on to say:
“Almost 80 percent of Illinois’ 1.8 million uninsured residents are members of working families. The simple truth is that many hard working families haven’t been able to purchase health insurance and make ends meet, even before the recession began. Today, 2.5 million Illinoisans – more than 1 out of 5 Illinoisans under the age of 65 – is in a family that must spend more than 10 percent of its income on health care costs, and another 660,000 spend more than 25 percent of their income on health care. Those costs are not sustainable,” said Durbin.
