On the recordMarch 21, 2010
I rise on this momentous day in support of this historic legislation. Just as our predecessors stood up for the American people to pass Social Security and Medicare, today we affirm our commitment to families across this country by passing comprehensive health care reform. Today, Democrats are once again showing whose side they are on, the side of the American people. While my colleagues on the other side of the aisle like to focus on those who are against this effort, I've heard from too many of my own constituents whose stories exemplify why we need health reform and encouraged me to support this bill. Constituents like Jody from Bristol. Jody and her family had to downgrade their health insurance after their premiums jumped 30% in one year. Just a few months later Jody was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. After 12 months her medical debt was more than $30,000. Now, even after she has insurance, she is struggling to pay off the $35,000 in credit card bills her family amassed to pay her health care. It's in stories like these, of people facing severe financial difficulty because of medical debt, being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, or losing their coverage when they get sick that creates the moral imperative to right these wrongs. In this bill we will cap out of pocket costs, end discrimination based on pre-existing health conditions, and end the practice of insurance rescissions.
