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Pallone, who is chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, joined Mandy Spears, health policy advisor for Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th) and activists with the New Jersey Health Care for America Now Campaign in Highland Park to urge the state's other congressmen to support the Affordable Health Choices Act (HR 3200).

Three lawmakers, Rep. John Adler (D-3rd), Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th.) and Rep. Frank Lo Biondo (R-2nd.) do not support the current proposal and Pallone and the activists offered statistics on how the health care proposal would affect the congressmen's districts.

• Up to 14,600 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees;
• 12,000 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D;
• 1,330 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs;
• Health care providers would receive payment for $56 million in uncompensated care each year;
• 47,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance;
• 4,600 households would see an increase in taxes. 98.7% of taxpayers in the district are not affected.

In Lance's district:

• Up to 18,200 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees;
• 8,100 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D;
• 800 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs;
• Health care providers would receive payment for $30 million in uncompensated care each year;
• 21,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance;
• 12,360 households would see an increase in taxes. 96.2% of taxpayers in the district are not affected.

In Rep. LoBiondo's district:

• Up to 15,900 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees;
• 9,600 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D;
• 1,600 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs;
• Health care providers would receive payment for $85 million in uncompensated care each year;
• 47,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance;
• 2,590 households would see an increase in taxes. 99.2% of taxpayers in the district are not affected.

"We have already made historic progress on health care reform with the House bill recently approved by three congressional committees," Pallone said. "People have been calling for reform for more than forty years, yet this is the first time any reform plan has been approved by a committee. We need to keep the momentum going and deliver real reform to the American people."

"Today, we call on every member of New Jersey's Congressional delegation to support the health care bill in the House of Representatives, HR 3200 – America's Affordable Health Choices Act,'' said Eve Weissman, health care campaign coordinator for New Jersey Citizen Action. "This legislation would expand access to quality, affordable health care for millions of New Jerseyans and lower across-the-board costs in our health care system. Recent analysis by the House Energy and Commerce Committee shows that every Congressional District in New Jersey will benefit from this bill."

The health care bill has passed out of all three committees in the House and will be up for a floor vote in September.

Health Care for America Now is holding rallies, town hall meetings, press conferences, and canvasses in 44 states this month seeking support for the health care bill.

District-by-district analysis of HR 3200's impact on small businesses, seniors in Medicare, health care providers, and the uninsured can be found on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's website via the following link: H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, district by district impact.

Health Care for America now is the nation's largest health care campaign. The group is made up of more than 1,000 organizations representing more than 30 million people nationwide.

– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM