Nancy L. Johnson: “The majority leader opened this debate by talking about portability, about guaranteeing private insurance, choice, and…”

“The majority leader opened this debate by talking about portability, about guaranteeing private insurance, choice, and security. Four years ago, I talked with a young woman in front of a grocery store who had two beautiful children uninsured, and out of that experience I introduced insurance reform legislation, that if we had passed it 3 years ago, and not one of you cosponsored it, there would be no one today excluded for preexisting conditions, no one today the victim of job lock. And I also introduced--the Republicans introduced purchasing cooperatives, that would have lowered the cost of health insurance for all Americans. We expanded the infrastructure of health care. And we did something to control skyrocketing costs through administrative reform and the smart card that the President talks about. We have introduced all those ideas, and we are proud of it. We want health care for all Americans that is affordable and high quality. We just don't want an employer mandate that costs jobs and slows the economy. He--we don't want global budgets and price setting that is going to result in rationing. We know that through the systems that we already have in place that the Government runs. We don't want mandatory alliances that force every individual in America to give up the plan they have and go buy some other plan that the Government is giving them through their health alliances.”