Press Release

Cummings Welcomes President Obama Back to Maryland
President Speaks to Maryland, Promoting Importance of Healthcare Reform

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Elijah E. Cummings was proud to welcome President Barack Obama back to Maryland Thursday afternoon. The President spoke to a full Comcast Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. President Obama spoke about a cause of particular importance to Congressman Cummings, the continuing quest to reform health care in America.

“The President reinforced the message sent by the millions of voters who sent him to the White House last November” said Congressman Cummings. “Time is short. The moment is now. We must protect millions of Americans who do not have reliable access to healthcare in this country. We must save thousands who die each year because they cannot afford coverage. We must free businesses to compete on an equal footing, in a global economy, powered by workers who know they can protect their families, with coverage they can take from job to job, and that they can afford to keep if they are between jobs.

President Obama and I both believe the United States cannot afford to wait another moment to enact a massive reform to our nation’s broken healthcare system. We know that many employers are unable to afford rising health care costs. In fact, our country could see an additional 3.5 million people unemployed and without benefits in the next 4 years.

Meanwhile, at least 46 million Americans are uninsured - more than 85% of whom are in working families. Without wellness and preventive care, families suffer, and their care drives up costs throughout the system.

With the exception of Massachusetts, which enacted health insurance reform in 2006, every state in the nation has seen their population of uninsured grow or remain unacceptably high from 2001 to 2008. These numbers do not even include those who have lost their insurance in the recent recession or have had coverage gaps of shorter than a year. In nearly every state, private coverage is eroding with the percentage of people covered by employer-based coverage decreasing.

Since 2007, the Democratic-led Congress has relentlessly sought solutions providing every single American with access to quality, affordable healthcare. 79 hearings and countless meetings were held, discussing solutions. The time has come to put the resulting plan into action.

President Obama, like myself, understands “the fierce urgency of now.” We are in a time in our nation when the stars have aligned; when improvements fought for by the Democratic majority are needed by the country. Thursday’s event only underscores the many reasons that I will continue to support President Obama in the House of Representatives, making sure that a real, effective healthcare reform bill is ready for his signature as soon as possible.”

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