Barrasso Amendment Prohibits Insurance Premium Increases

Contact: Emily Lawrimore ~202.224.6441

Barrasso Amendment Prohibits Insurance Premium Increases

"My amendment will hold those who voted for this bill accountable to the promises they made to the American people."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement regarding H.R. 4872, his amendment to ensure that insurance premiums will not increase under the Democrats' health care bill.

"The President of the United States promised the American people that by passing health care reform, the cost of their own health insurance premiums would go down.

"Despite this promise, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Chief Actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and eight additional private sector studies all agree that under the Democrats' bill, insurance premiums will rise. They all confirm that the health care reform bill signed into law will drive insurance costs up more than if there was no bill at all.

"At a time when many families are coping with job losses and struggling to make ends meet, they should not be forced by Washington to buy more expensive health insurance they may not need, want, or be able to afford. My amendment will hold those who voted for this bill accountable to the promises they made to the American people."

The text of the amendment can be found at http://barrasso.senate.gov/public/files/BAI10195.pdf.