Mike Thompson: “They're burning the entire house down and taking it from a system that has been a model for the world, actually. I give…”

“They're burning the entire house down and taking it from a system that has been a model for the world, actually. I give you one example. One of the issues we talk about--and we agree we need to improve access to quality health care. I would have been much happier if this whole debate, when we started it--in fact, I came to Congress thinking that we would have that debate--how do we improve access to quality health care. No. What are we debating? Health insurance. Not even the right topic. I want to put it in the perspective of probably an example that I think touches all the colleagues here on the floor. I'm from a very rural district. I have probably almost 24 different rural hospitals in my congressional district. Those hospitals, in addition to the economic engines, they're incredibly important to those communities. They're the source of positions. They're really good jobs. They purchase resources. They're good neighbors. They purchase resources in the community. So they're good for the community. But beyond that, having those in those rural communities provides access to quality health care. You never want to see a hospital close. I don't believe that. But if you close one in the city, probably within about a six-block radius you're going to find another hospital that's going to be able to provide you access to lifesaving care.”