Chris Murphy: “did you know that a 25-year-old male in good health can purchase a policy for health insurance for $960 in Kentucky and…”

“did you know that a 25-year-old male in good health can purchase a policy for health insurance for $960 in Kentucky and the same policy costs about $5,800 in New Jersey? Did you know that a policy priced at $1,600 in Iowa is $2,600 in Washington State? And did you know that that same policy costs about $4,000 in Massachusetts? One reason for this disparity is that families have little or no choice when it comes to selecting health care insurance. Where there is no competition, there is very little that drives cost down. Each State has its own health insurance mandates, and some of them are good, but there are about 1,800 of them all across the Nation, including provisions for acupuncturists, massage therapists, and hair replacements. Many of these mandates may be helpful, but when you add up the cost, they can put health care out of the reach of families. Congress should establish a trial program allowing consumers and families to purchase health insurance policies from other States. Let us give families a choice instead of more costs. I urge my colleagues to learn more about competition in health insurance by looking at my Web site at Murphy.house.gov. America needs us to go to work on this. ____________________”