CHAIRMAN KENNEDY ANNOUNCES BINGAMAN AS LEAD OF INSURANCE COVERAGE WORKING GROUP ON HEALTHCARE REFORM Bingaman Replaces Clinton, Joins Dodd, Harkin and Mikulski in Expanded Roles

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), today announced that Senator Jeff Bingaman will lead the committee’s health care reform working group on insurance coverage.

Senator Bingaman replaces Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of State. Last month, Kennedy asked Senator Dodd to serve as his chief deputy for health reform and established three working groups within his committee to concentrate on areas essential to comprehensive health care reform. Senator Dodd will continue in that capacity and Senator Tom Harkin and Senator Barbara Mikulski will continue to chair the working groups on prevention and public health, and improvements in quality, respectively.

“Senator Bingaman is a longtime advocate of quality and affordable health care for the American people, and I’m pleased he will join Senator Dodd, Senator Harkin, and Senator Mikulski to serve in these expanded roles. We are all committed to working with the Obama Administration and our colleagues in Congress to finally give the American people the health care reforms they urgently need and deserve.”

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