Alan Khazei releases statement on Senate health care bill.

Alan Khazei issued a statement last night on the health care reform bill released yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

“I applaud the comprehensive healthcare plan introduced by Senate Majority Leader Reid that mandates coverage, preserves a public option, eliminates exclusion for pre-existing conditions and lifetime caps, and does not include any new draconian restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health services adopted by the House. 

“I also applaud the portion of the healthcare bill that creates a new federal insurance program to help with long term care costs. 

“I would fight to include a key House provision that was excluded in the Senate bill that would authorize the Secretary of HHS to negotiate drug price in the Medicare prescription drug plan. 

“I am troubled by the upholding of the insurance industry's exemption from federal antitrust laws, which raises premiums and hurts consumers and I do not believe we should allow states to opt out of the public option.  I am also troubled that the bill’s weak employer responsibility provisions ignore the needs of part-time and seasonal workers, continuing the trends in the marketplace which incentivize hiring part time employees to avoid offering benefits. 

“I would fight to improve this in the full Senate.  I would vote for this bill.”