Ann Kirkpatrick: “I thank the Congresswoman for yielding. I want to echo what I hear from my constituents: Do I put gas in my car, or do I…”

“I thank the Congresswoman for yielding. I want to echo what I hear from my constituents: Do I put gas in my car, or do I buy my medication? Do I put food on the table for my family, or do I pay for my prescription drugs? Do I buy a generic drug here in the United States that costs $900, or do I drive to Mexico where I can buy it for $9? These are real, lifesaving, life-or-death issues that we are dealing with. I want you to know this is personal to me because, when I was a 19- year-old waitress, I came home one night to my family, and my parents weren't home. They said, ``Your mom took your dad to the hospital,'' and I drove to the hospital. I said: ``Okay, I will go check on him.'' As I was walking in the door, the doctor walked out, and he said: ``Your dad is dead.'' That was due to a lack of healthcare, including prescription drugs. {time} 1000 He had an undiagnosed heart disease that could have been treated, and in this day and age it would not have been an issue. So I fully support H.R. 3. This is something that is critical to American families and they are dealing with every day. A mother shouldn't have to decide if she is going to drive to Mexico, where she is not exactly sure if the drug she is purchasing for her child has the same standards and quality that she would get here in the United States. So, Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3. This is life or death.”