To the Editor:

I am writing to thank U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, for her support of working families in the 11th District.

Halvorson has spent her years of public service focused on job creation, transparency and bringing government to the people. Since being elected to Congress last year, she has fought tirelessly to bring funding, projects and jobs to her district and to support legislation that will spur economic growth in Illinois.

Along these lines, I am pleased Halvorson will support common-sense health insurance reform that is good for Illinois' working families and businesses. 

HR 3962, the Affordable Healthcare for America Act, is legislation that will help local businesses be more competitive by bringing down the cost of health insurance. Of the entire uninsured population, 60 percent are small business owners, employees and their families. For those small business owners who do provide insurance, their costs have risen 130 percent over the last decade.

Businesses should not have to choose between hiring more employees and providing insurance. This legislation will encourage job growth by creating a voluntary health insurance exchange, which is a new marketplace where small businesses can select from a menu of competitively priced coverage plans from across the country.

People without health insurance, or whose employer"s health insurance is too expensive, also can voluntarily access this marketplace to find more affordable insurance options. 

The Affordable Healthcare for America Act also will finally put an end to the tactics insurance companies have used to deny coverage and care to working people for years. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on "pre-existing conditions" such as diabetes or grief counseling for a loved one.

Further, lifetime caps on coverage will be abolished so insurance companies can't deny care when people need it the most. 



I have spent my career as an IBEW member and now as the president of the Illinois AFL-CIO advocating for job growth and the rights of working families. I grew up in the 11th District and I know families who live and work there. We are good, hard-working people who want our government to work for us. We demand leaders who are available, accountable and who share our common-sense values. The families in the 11th District are well-represented by a down-to-earth, everyday fighter for the people — Debbie Halvorson.

I want to thank her for her support of HR 3962 because it will improve the lives of the residents of the 11th District, Illinois and all of America.

MICHAEL T. CARRIGAN,

President, Illinois AFL-CIO