The final health reform package, with the addition of the
reconciliation fixes being debated by the Senate today, has earned an A-
from the consumer group TexPIRG for its cost-containment provisions.
"These reforms are game-changers which significantly increase
America's ability to rein in skyrocketing health care costs. We will
see affordable coverage for families, lower costs for business, and
significantly reduced federal deficits,” said Larry McNeely,
Health Care Advocate for the Texas Public Interest Research Group.
Last year, TexPIRG gave the Senate health reform bill a B+, but
improvements in the final language bumped the grade up to an A-.
“Despite enormous opposition from health industry lobbies, Congress
has assembled strong legislation that will help lower health care
costs,” McNeely said. “We congratulate both Houses for enacting the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and urge the Senate to
quickly finish pass the Reconciliation Act of 2010.”
