Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Affordable Care Act made great strides in improving access to health insurance for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, especially in high-cost geographic areas, some in the middle class are facing high insurance premiums. If you make a penny over $45,960 you lose all Federal assistance for purchasing health insurance through the new exchanges. This is especially hard for individuals between the ages of 50 and 64, who are facing higher premiums but do not yet qualify for Medicare. I have received thousands of calls and emails about access to health insurance. The high costs are a real problem. For example, Dave, one of my constituents from Livermore, CA, wrote to me to share how this policy has affected him. Dave is 60 and self-employed, making $65,000 per year. He signed up for a plan through the new health insurance exchange to cover both himself and his wife. If they made just $3,000 less per year they would have qualified for a subsidy and paid $491 for the second lowest cost silver plan. Since they are just over the threshold, the full cost of this plan is $1552. They decided to go with less robust coverage and still pay $1147 for a bronze plan. Under this legislation, Dave and his wife could get a better plan for less than half of what they pay now. Another constituent, Dan, lives in Riverside, CA, and is 62 years old.…”