Burgess Owens: “Our middle class families and small business owners need fast action if they are to pull themselves out of the…”

“Our middle class families and small business owners need fast action if they are to pull themselves out of the recession. The health care legislation that passed the House floor Sunday evening does just that. Beginning this week, health care reform will begin to impact my district in upstate New York. My constituents' number one concern is to create jobs. For our small business owners, tax credits of up to 35 percent of insurance costs are now available, allowing them to free up funds to hire new employees and expand. The bill will help our seniors pay for their medication, closing the Medicare part D doughnut hole within a decade, and improve the system for over 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries in our communities. No longer will our neighbors have to worry about losing or being denied quality insurance because they get sick. The bill will end rescissions and denials based on preexisting conditions. The bill will make our health care more efficient, providing new investment in training programs for primary care professionals and fund 12 new health care facilities in upstate New York. Health care reform will set our college graduates off on the right foot, allowing 65,000 young adults in my district to obtain coverage through their parents' plan until they are 26.”