Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today welcomed President Obama's plans for enacting health insurance reform in the coming weeks.

The president today urged Congress to act quickly to finalize reform aimed at controlling skyrocketing health care costs, ending insurance company abuses and expanding insurance to the uninsured.

Bingaman said the most likely path forward is that the House of Representatives would approve the Senate-passed version of health insurance reform.  Next, Congress would seek a second vote as part of filibuster-proof legislation to modify some of the previously adopted provisions.

"Forty thousand New Mexicans woke up this week to news that their health insurance premiums may rise by almost 25 percent this year.  New Mexico families are already getting squeezed and cannot continue absorbing these skyrocketing costs.  Nor can many of them continue to pay for the health care coverage they were surprised to learn their insurance plans don't cover," Bingaman said.

"The problems with our health insurance system are so broad that only comprehensive reform will result in the real change we need.  Without comprehensive reform, New Mexico will continue to see health care costs go off the charts and our uninsured numbers continue to rise.  President Obama understands that, and I strongly agree with him that we need to pass health insurance reform as soon as possible," he added.