01.08.10

New Report Shows Health Reform Will Create Up to 4 Million American Jobs

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and George Miller (D-CA), the chairmen of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement today on a new report released by the Center for American Progress showing that the health reform legislation pending in Congress will significantly lower health care costs for businesses, add as many as 4 million jobs over the next decade, and increase workers’ wages.

“This study confirms that the House and Senate health reform bills will control health care costs, strengthen our economy, and create millions of new jobs over the next decade.  As President Obama has repeatedly said, the economic argument for fixing our broken health insurance system is just as strong as the moral argument.  Today’s employment numbers remind us that too many Americans are still losing their jobs and looking for work.  This new data reinforces a key fact that too often has gone overlooked in this debate:  our health reform bill is also a job creation measure.  We are committed to working with the Senate and the White House on a health care reform bill that will uphold our commitment to affordability, accountability, and accessibility and also will create millions of new jobs.”

The report estimates that “health reform that reduces premium growth will add between 250,000 and 400,000 jobs annually over the next decade.”  To view the report, click here.