ONE MORE NEGATIVE ATTACK AD, ONE MORE LIE ABOUT SENATOR LINCOLN’S RECORD

Today, the SEIU began airing a negative attack ad misrepresenting Senator Lincoln’s longtime fight for an end to insurance discrimination against patients with pre-existing conditions.  Senator Lincoln has been a champion for health care reform, fighting specifically to end the practice of discrimination based on a person’s health status.  Senator Lincoln supported the Senate health care bill, which ended this practice, and which President Obama signed into law on March 22.   In addition, in every Congress since 2004, Senator Lincoln has introduced legislation aimed at helping small businesses and their workers access health insurance coverage, which included a ban on pre-existing condition exclusions.  Her bill was endorsed by the SEIU and the NFIB.

The woman that appears in the SEIU ad, Nancy Shaw of Hot Springs, contacted Sen. Lincoln’s office in December to thank Sen. Lincoln for her vote for the health care reform bill that became law and ends pre-existing discrimination by insurance companies.  She also consented to issuing a statement for inclusion in a Lincoln press release.  Now, 709,968 Arkansas children will no longer be susceptible to insurance company’s decisions to exclude them from coverage based on a pre-existing condition.

Nancy Shaw one of Many Arkansans Who Praised Senator Lincoln’s Support of Health Care Reform

Nancy Shaw Thanked Sen. Lincoln For Voting For Health Care Reform. In December 2009, Nancy Shaw was featured in a press release praising Senator Lincoln’s support for the health care overhaul bill.  She said, “I have a daughter with Down syndrome and I’m self employed. I can’t get her health insurance, so I think health care reform will help us… “[Lincoln’s vote] really says she’s paying attention to the people that voted for her. The fact that she voted for it really says it does matter.” [Lincoln Press Release, 12/24/2009]

President Obama: Sen. Lincoln “Took on Big Insurance Companies by Voting to End Discrimination Against Arkansans With Pre-Existing Conditions”

President Obama: Sen. Lincoln “Took on Big Insurance Companies.” In a radio ad airing across Arkansas, President Obama thanks Sen. Lincoln for her work on health care reform, saying, “On health care, Blanche took on big insurance companies by voting to end discrimination against Arkansans with pre-existing conditions and fought for tax credits that will help thousands of local small businesses provide insurance to their employees.” [President Obama Radio Ad]

Reconciliation Never Would Have Been Possible Without Lincoln’s Vote on Health Care Reform

Lincoln Cast “Decisive Vote” on Health Care Reform. In November 2009, Sen. Lincoln “cast the decisive vote to open the Senate’s health-care debate…Lincoln’s was the necessary 60^th vote on a procedural motion to head off a Republican filibuster.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/22/2009]

Lincoln Delivered “Deciding Vote” On Health Care. In November 2009, Sen. Lincoln announced “she’d deliver the deciding vote to push forward with a sweeping health reform plan.” [Politico, 11/21/2009]

Sen. Lincoln Supported Health Insurance Reform Law Signed Into Law Which Ends Pre-Existing Discrimination By Insurance Companies

Lincoln Voted For Passage of a Landmark Overhaul of the Nation’s Health Insurance System. In December 2009, Lincoln voted for the health insurance reform law which bar “insurers starting in 2014 from denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions.” [CQ Today, 12/24/09; Senate Vote #396, 12/24/2009]

Senate Bill Prevents Insurance Companies From Denying Coverage Based on Pre-existing Conditions. According to CNN, “At heart, the House and Senate versions of healthcare reform legislation are very much the same… Both would ban insurance firms from denying anyone coverage due to pre-existing health conditions.” [Christian Science Monitor, 12/21/2009]

Senate Bill Would End Denials of Insurance for Children Based on Pre-existing Conditions Six Months After Enactment. Under the Senate health insurance bill, six months after enactment, “insurance companies wouldn’t be able to deny children coverage because of a pre-existing condition or drop any patients because they get sick.” [Washington Times, 12/21/2009]

Lincoln Voted for Bill in Senate Finance Committee That Ended Pre-Existing Condition Discrimination. In October 2009, Senator Lincoln voted for the Senate Finance Committee’s health care overhaul bill, which “would prevent health insurance companies from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition.” The bill “would allow people with pre-existing conditions to enroll in a high-risk plan within one year of enactment.” [CQ Committee Coverage, 10/13/2009]

Fighting to End Pre-Existing Condition Discrimination

Since 2004, Senator Lincoln has Introduced Legislation to Help Small Businesses Access Health Insurance, Included Ban on Pre-Existing Condition Denials. In every Congress since 1994, Senator Lincoln has introduced legislation to make health care more affordable for Arkansas’s small businesses through the creation of health care exchanges.  A main component of this legislation was a ban on pre-existing exclusions for plans participating in the exchanges.  Senator Lincoln’s legislation became the basis for the health insurance reform that she voted for in the Senate and was signed into law by President Obama. [SHOP Act Description, accessed 5/11/2010]

SEIU Supported Lincoln’s SHOP Act. SEIU joined Senator Lincoln in introducing the SHOP Act in 2008.  Mary Kay Henry, the incoming president of SEIU and then-Executive Vice President, said, “Too many hardworking people in this country are struggling under the strain of health care costs that are rising every year, without any relief… Too many hardworking people in this country are struggling under the strain of health care costs that are rising every year, without any relief.” [SEIU Press Release, 4/2/2008]

Fighting Big Health Insurance Companies

Senator Lincoln Fought to Ensure That Insurance Company Executives Would Not Receive Personal Windfall From Health Insurance Reform. From her position on the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Lincoln successfully fought to include an amendment in the health insurance reform bill that would limit the amount of executive compensation paid by health insurance companies as a deductible business expense to $500,000 annually, per employee.  [Congressional Quarterly, 10/2/2009]

Lincoln Sought to Further Limit Executive Compensation During the Full Health Care Debate. On the Senate floor, Senator Lincoln offered an amendment to further limit the amount health insurance companies are allowed to deduct per executive, to $400,000 annually or whatever the compensation of the President was for that year.  Lincoln said that her amendment would encourage health insurance companies to “put premium dollars toward lower rates and more affordable coverage, not in the pocketbooks of their executives.” [Senate Vote #365, 12/6/2009; Congressional Quarterly, 12/6/2009]

Obama radio ad: “On health care, Blanche took on big insurance companies by voting to end discrimination against Arkansans with pre-existing conditions and fought for tax credits that will help thousands of local small businesses provide insurance to their employees.”

Advertisement