John Barrow: “I am proud to be up here today to support H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.…”

“I am proud to be up here today to support H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. It has been a long time coming. I am glad we are considering this bill on the floor so early in this Congress, when we spent most of the last 2 years trying to enact it. I think it says something very positive about the commitment of this new Congress and of our new President to improving health care for all Americans. H.R. 2 will allow us to enroll 4 million more kids in programs like Georgia's PeachCare who are just as eligible as the 7 million kids already enrolled. It is not a free lunch. Parents will still have to pay what they can afford to pay, but the kids will be able to go to the doctor, where they get good preventive care at the lowest cost, and keep them out of the emergency room, where they get the least effective care at the greatest possible cost to the taxpayer. That is more health care, better outcomes, at less cost. It is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do, and that is why I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to support it.”