Political Quotes

“remarkable as it may seem, there are some who are saying we do not have a health care crisis in this country. We all have heard that there are over 35 million people who are without health insurance. But the figures are even larger than that: In the course of 1 year, 51 million people will be without health insurance at some time or another; around 80 million Americans in our country have a preexisting condition which will prevent them from having health insurance or renewing health insurance. Around 80 million people also have restrictive lifetime benefit caps on their health insurance. Sometimes they do not even know that until they become ill a second time. Many, many millions of Americans will pay more for health care insurance in this year than they did last year for the same or less coverage. One such is a constituent of mine who wrote on November 24 that he had worked hard all his life and received a notice from his health insurance company stating that, ``Effective January 1, 1994, your monthly payment of $120 will be changed to $252 per month.'' It went from $1,440 to a $3,000 premium per year. Mr. Speaker, this is a man who has worked all his life; he is a retiree. He said, ``I believe that the rate increase is unfair. I am left without a choice. I need insurance for my family and myself.'' Mr. Speaker, this letter, I believe, speaks well as to the need for health care reform, for universal coverage for all Americans.”