THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR JAY ROCKEFELLER.

Washington, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, today unveiled the framework of his Consumers Health Care Act.

“Without the steady, positive influence of a public plan option in the marketplace, we will never truly solve the health care crisis in this country,” said Senator Rockefeller. “Private health insurance has a long history of cutting people off or charging too much for too little. The Consumers Health Care Act is about offering complete coverage at an affordable rate – period.

“Private insurance companies want to have their cake and eat it too. They want health care reform to earn them maximum profits if they start covering millions of uninsured Americans. But they are not willing to abide by the fair rules, oversight and cost containment that Americans deserve. Shared responsibility – that includes insurers – is the only answer and a public plan is the only real solution.”

Rockefeller’s Legislation Will:

Offer a “Consumer Choice Health Plan” as an option alongside private insurance. By bringing a competitive public plan option to the table, private insurance companies will be driven to provide Americans with better value for their health care at a better price, in contrast to the current private insurance framework, which is focused on avoiding risk and increasing their profits.

Establish America’s Health Insurance Trust as a “good housekeeping seal of approval” to give consumers a voice in health insurance oversight. This nonprofit, consumer-driven organization will evaluate and give ratings to all health insurance products offered through the national health insurance exchange – based on factors such as affordability, adequacy, transparency, consumer satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and quality.