March 24, 2010
 
ROCKEFELLER: HEALTH REFORM is a Historic Success That Will Deliver For All West Virginians
 
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
 
Washington, DC (HNN) - Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law today:
 
“Today we walked on the right side of history—delivering health care solutions that will help so many West Virginians,” said Senator Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care and a passionate advocate and supporter of health care reform. “Fundamental changes to our health care system in order to make peoples’ lives better takes dedication—both the House and the Senate have spent over a year working on a meaningful plan to move our health system forward. I was proud to be with the President at the White House when he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law today.
 
“I fought for comprehensive health care reform for many reasons:

• To protect and improve Medicare for our seniors;
   
  
• To make health insurance more affordable for individuals, families and small businesses;
   
  
• To eliminate egregious health insurance industry practices, such as denying care for pre-existing conditions, requiring annual and lifetime benefit limits, and rescinding coverage when people get sick;
   
  
• To provide dependent coverage for children up to age 26.

“These long-overdue changes will be implemented through this new law immediately, and they will improve health care for West Virginians and all Americans. Additional benefits will come when the legislation is fully implemented in the coming years.
 
“This has been a tough process, but I believe we have created a bill that will do right by West Virginia individuals and families. This bill protects the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), improves Medicare benefits and the quality of care for our seniors, provides support for vulnerable populations through Medicaid, and reduces the federal deficit by $118 billion over the next ten years to put America’s health care economy back on a strong track forward.”
 
More benefits for West Virginians can be found here (LINK).
 
Following the President’s signing of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate will now take up the House-passed reconciliation bill to make additional improvements to the new law.