March 26, 2010
March 26, 2010
In radio address, governor says everyone will have access to quality, affordable coverage
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the single most important reform of America's health system in decades.
"Health care reform means that now there will be affordable coverage options for the 1.2 million uninsured people in Michigan and for the 459,000 people in our state who purchase their own individual coverage," Granholm said. "No longer will health insurance companies be able to cancel people's coverage if they become sick. And starting in 2014, insurers will not be able to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions."
"Young people will be able to remain on their parents' health insurance until age 26, which is a great benefit to the more than 950,000 young adults in Michigan," Granholm said. "Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries will receive additional assistance in paying for prescription drugs."
"More than 100,000 Michigan small businesses will be eligible to receive tax credits to make health coverage more affordable," Granholm said. "And slowing the growth rate of health-care costs will provide businesses with savings that can be used to hire additional workers."
The governor saluted Michigan Congressman John Dingell for his role in health care reform.
"It was fitting that Congressman John Dingell was seated at President Obama's side for the signing of the health care reform act," Granholm said. "I salute John Dingell for his lifelong fight for health care for all Americans."
"Health care reform will make a positive difference in everyone's life," Granholm said. "Everybody will have access to quality, affordable health insurance, and we can finally start getting health care costs under control. It's been a long time coming, but health care reform is finally here -and all the people of Michigan and our great nation will benefit."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available for download on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address also is available as a podcast on the Web site as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - Health Care Reform
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov242Full_315777_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov242Edit_315778_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov242Quote_315779_7.mp3
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Last Sunday, history was made. Congress passed The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is the single most important reform of America's health system in decades.
Everyone knows someone who's lost their health coverage because they lost their job - or someone who never had health coverage to begin with. We all know people who couldn't get insurance because of a pre-existing medical condition - or whose coverage was dropped after they got sick.
And that is all about to change.
Health care reform means that now there will be affordable coverage options for the 1.2 million uninsured people in Michigan and for the 459,000 people in our state who purchase their own individual coverage.
No longer will health insurance companies be able to cancel people's coverage if they become sick. And starting in 2014, insurers will not be able to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
This year, young people will be able to remain on their parents' health insurance until age 26, which is a great benefit to the more than 950,000 young adults in Michigan. Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries will receive additional assistance in paying for prescription drugs.
More than 100,000 Michigan small businesses will be eligible to receive tax credits to make health coverage more affordable. And slowing the growth rate of health care costs will provide businesses with savings that can be used to hire additional workers.
Health care reform has been a long time in the making. Just ask Congressman John Dingell, who's served in Congress since 1955 when he won a special election to succeed his late father who had championed health insurance for all Americans. At the beginning of every congressional session, John Dingell would introduce the national health insurance bill that his father sponsored when he served in Congress. So it was fitting that Congressman John Dingell was seated at President Obama's side for the signing of the health care reform act. How sweet a moment it must have been, and I salute John Dingell for his lifelong fight for health care for all Americans.
Now that health care reform has passed, there is some work we have to do on the state level to begin implementing this historic act, and we'll start working on that immediately.
Health care reform will make a positive difference in everyone's life. Everybody will have access to quality, affordable health insurance, and we can finally start getting health care costs under control. It's been a long time coming, but health care reform is finally here - and all the people of Michigan and our great nation will benefit.
Thank you for listening.
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