FAH President and CEO Chip Kahn released the following statement on the introduction of Medicare X legislation:

“A Medicare public option may fit on a bumper sticker, but it won’t fit with the access to health care that Americans expect.

“The public option may be well-intentioned, but it will undermine the private options available for coverage not expand them. Even worse, it will make it dramatically more difficult for hospitals and caregivers to be there to serve their patients and communities.

“Instead, we urge policymakers to focus on strengthening the Affordable Care Act and achieving the universal coverage and access to care that is the law’s aim.”