Franken supports Obama’s VA undersecretary choice, seeks answers from American Health Insurance Plans

November 20, 2009 by Howie · Leave a Comment

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (pictured), DFL-Minnesota, today praised President Obama’s nomination of Minnesota native Dr. Robert Petzel to be Undersecretary of Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which is the VA official in charge of the nation’s veterans’ health care.

Dr. Petzel previously worked at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis and served as Network Director for the VA Midwest Health Care Network.

“Dr. Petzel will bring the same dedication to raising the quality of care for our nation’s veterans as he’s brought to the job of caring for veterans in Minnesota,” said Sen. Franken. “His nomination makes Minnesota proud. His commitment to expanding the care VA provides, especially in underserved areas, and to developing innovative strategies to provide better service make him an excellent candidate for this national position.

“As a Senator, among my highest priorities is making sure VA has all the tools to ensure the best health care for our veterans. Just yesterday, I was proud to vote for the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009, which will provide strong support for veterans and their families. I look forward to working with Dr. Petzel to guarantee that VA is also using those tools as effectively as possible.”

Meantime, Franken today was joined by dozens of lawmakers in both the House and Senate to demand answers from American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) CEO Karen Ignani in light of sharply rising health insurance premiums for small businesses.

“In this tough economy, we need to do everything we can to protect small businesses,” said Sen. Franken. “In Minnesota, they’re being squeezed by a credit crunch already. They can’t absorb unwarranted health insurance premium hikes on top of that. We need to stimulate job creation and business growth right now and these rate hikes will do exactly the opposite.”

Next year, health care providers are proposing to increase premiums for customers across the country by 15%. This means the annual premium per employee will have risen from $4,500 in 2008 to $5,500 in 2010 — an increase of $1,000 per employee in just two years.