FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Iowa Health Care For America Now And Partners Thank Congressmen For Voting To Pass Health Care Reform

With Historic "Yes" Vote, Representatives Boswell, Braley, and Loebsack Prove They Listen to Iowans and Are Willing to Stand Up for Them

Iowa Citizen Action Network as part of Health Care for America Now (HCAN) - the nation's largest health care campaign - along with health care advocates from across the state delivered thank you notes and sweet treats to thank Congressmen Boswell, Braley, and Loebsack for listening to Iowa's working families and small businesses, not the insurance companies, and voting to pass comprehensive health care reform legislation through the U.S House of Representatives.

"We are proud of Congressman Boswell for doing the right thing and voting "yes" on health care reform," said Midge Slater from the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, a participant in the thank you event at Rep. Boswell's Des Moines district office. "This is an historic moment for Iowa and for America, and Rep. Boswell proved he is on our side by listening to the people of his district and not the corporate lobbyists and big insurance companies. Thanks to the Congressman's "yes" vote, we can now look forward to the security of good health care at a price we can afford and not have to worry about being denied care or going bankrupt trying to pay for the care we need."

"Families all across this country are one critical step closer to not having to worry about whether or not we can afford to see a doctor when we get sick," said Chris Schwartz from Working Families Win during a visit to Representative Braley's Waterloo office. "We can look forward to not being denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions or having our coverage pulled out from under us when we need it most. This is a huge step for Iowa's working families and small businesses. I am proud that Rep. Braley is my Congressman, and I will keep standing with him the way he's stood up for us."

Iowa's Congressional Representatives who voted yes on health care reform were treated to visits by delegations of health care reform advocates this morning. HCAN partners visited Rep. Braley's Waterloo and Davenport offices, Rep. Loebsack's Iowa City office, and Rep. Boswell's Des Moines office. They delivered tokens of gratitude such as thank you cards, balloons, baked goods, and even a t-shirt from a small business that is part of the Iowa Main Street Alliance (RAYGUN); and included the following Iowa groups: Alliance for Retired Americans, Communication Workers of America, Des Moines Health Care Working Group , Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa, Every Child Matters -- Iowa, Iowa Citizen Action Network, Main Street Alliance, Progressive Action for the Common Good of the Quad Cities, RESULTS, Service Employees International Union, and Working Families Win.

Betty Ahrens, Executive Director of the Iowa Citizen Action Network, praised all three members of the House for what she called a "courageous, history-making vote that will make Americans stronger and more secure."

"This is a small step for today and a giant step for tomorrow," Ahrens said. "But make no mistake: special interests and opponents of reform will be organizing from day one to repeal this bill and take away our access to affordable health care. Our job is to stand our ground and not let that happen."

Ahrens said consumers will realize some of the benefits of health care reform almost immediately, such as stopping insurance companies from cancelling coverage retroactively when a person gets sick, and putting lifetime limits on the dollar value of benefits.

Other short- and long-term benefits of health care reform include reducing drug costs for seniors, saving money for small business owners, preventing insurance companies from denying care based on pre-existing conditions, lowering the growth trajectory of health insurance costs and expanding coverage for uninsured people.

Contact:

Amy Logsdon
319-321-7056

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