Political Quotes

“I come to this Chamber as a Senator that represents a State that does not have a single HMO. As a consequence, with our small population, spread over a large land mass, I do not expect to see many HMOs moving into Alaska anytime soon. But I think this fact has led me to perhaps have an objective view, to look at this legislation with more neutral eyes. And what I see troubles me. I think it should trouble all Americans. We do have a crisis in our health care system. Right now, there are 42.6 million Americans who are uninsured. These individuals lack even the most basic coverage and must continually worry about how they will pay for health care services. Will they become sick and fall into a situation where they fail to receive proper medical attention? Will they become hospitalized but have their hospital bills drive them into bankruptcy? Should they pay their doctor bills or pay their rent? Which is it? These are the real concerns facing 1 out of every 6 Americans. With such a staggering number of uninsured, and such real difficulties they could face, why have the proponents of the bill so cavalierly shrugged off the additional costs of this Patients' Bill of Rights? For every 1 percent increase in premiums, 300,000 more Americans will be faced with the reality of being uninsured.”