House Republicans Reward Corporate Interests by Plotting to Take Health Care Away from Americans

House Republicans have announced that a vote on repealing the
recently passed health care reform law will occur on January 12th. Mary
Lassen, managing director of the Center for Community Change released
the following statement:

"America has serious economic problems. Unemployment is crushing our
communities. Wealth inequality is surging. Personal bankruptcies and
foreclosures continue to plunge families into crisis. Yet, the first
priority of the new Republican-led House of Representatives is not to
address any of these problems. Instead, it is to reward the corporate
interests that have ravaged our economy by attempting to repeal the
first major piece of legislation to stop the health insurance industry
from taking advantage of consumers by denying critical health care
benefits to millions of Americans. These same companies financed the
change in House leadership with millions of dollars in campaign
donations and misleading attack ads.

"The historic health care reform law is already set to reduce
prescription drug prices for seniors by 50 percent and allow families to
cover adult children for years longer. As other provisions of the
reform are phased in, millions of families will be granted access to the
quality care they are currently denied.

"It is offensive that the first serious act of the GOP will be to ignore
America's grave economic problems and reward the very same interests
that got us into this mess. That it will also be an extension of their
single minded political war on the President is perhaps not surprising,
but it is tragic that the result of their scorched earth politics will
put health benefits at risk for many Americans."