Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee joined Protect Our Care today to discuss the impacts of the American Rescue Plan and its expansion of the Affordable Care Act. The American Rescue Plan contains the most significant health care reform since the law was passed 11 years ago. The chairs also discussed the need for Congress to take further action to lower costs, expand coverage, address inequities in care, and tackle the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.
“This pandemic is the biggest health care crisis in a century, which is why the American Rescue Plan included the biggest expansion of health care since the Affordable Care Act. There is still plenty of work ahead to fully end this pandemic, to rebuild our nation stronger and fairer, and to finally ensure health care in this country is truly a right and not a privilege. But it’s worth recognizing the work we just did—the American Rescue Plan we just passed—will make a real difference in millions of lives. After four years of fighting off health care attacks, I’m glad to say we are finally building on the progress of the past with bold steps to expand quality, affordable health coverage, and we are not done yet,” said U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate HELP Committee.
“I am thrilled to continue working with Protect Our Care on legislation that sends help to Americans instead of fighting Republicans who tried to take that help away. The American Rescue Plan is the boldest economic relief package in memory: it sends relief payments to families in Oregon and nationwide, cuts child poverty in half, and boosts the take home pay of millions of essential workers like grocery store clerks and home health aides. Moving forward, I am committed to bold action on prescription drugs to help Americans who are getting clobbered at the pharmacy counter. And Congress must build on the work to expand health care coverage and improve affordability that was passed as a part of the American Rescue Plan,” said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
“When President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law last week it was the largest expansion of health care coverage since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. It is a relief to finally see legislation being enacted that expands health care and lowers costs for families after a decade of constant Republican obstruction and sabotage. I’m looking forward to continuing to build on this early momentum in the months to come as we look to continue to strengthen the Affordable Care Act,” said U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr., Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“The American Rescue Plan is the boldest expansion of health care in a decade and coincides with the anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Over the last year, the ACA has served as a lifeline to Americans battling the COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s never been a more urgent time to build on the law’s success. The American Rescue Plan is a huge step forward in expanding coverage and lowering health care costs, but there is still more work to be done to make these historic changes permanent, be sure that states expand Medicaid, and tackle skyrocketing prescription drug prices,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach.