Deborah Koff Ross: “as the Congress and the country mark Cover the Uninsured Week, I add my voice to those who are ready to do something…”

“as the Congress and the country mark Cover the Uninsured Week, I add my voice to those who are ready to do something meaningful about the problem of the uninsured. Nearly 80 percent of the uninsured are the working poor, and often work in small businesses. They have jobs and are trying to do the right thing, but they cannot afford an insurance policy for themselves or for their families. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle claim that association health plans are the answer, but more than 500 organizations representing millions of people oppose these plans, association health plans, because they know that they will compound the problem by creating an unlevel playing field that will likely lead to cherry-picking, adverse selection, and yes, increased costs for sicker individuals. I urge my colleagues to support the Kind substitute, which will provide a tax credit to businesses that will pay for 50 percent of the premium for health insurance for their employees.”