Dick Durbin: “I come to the floor today in recognition of American Heart Month. For more than 50 years, Congress has recognized…”

“I come to the floor today in recognition of American Heart Month. For more than 50 years, Congress has recognized February as American Heart Month. During this time, we have seen many advances in reducing congenital heart defects, heart disease, stroke, and other forms of cardiovascular disease through improvements in research, education, prevention, and treatment. Over 1 million cardiovascular disease deaths are now averted each year thanks to advances in biomedical research, prevention programs, and the development of new drugs and therapies; yet every 15 minutes, a child is born with a heart defect, and nearly 86 million adults are living with some form of cardiovascular disease. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, and heart disease alone remains our Nation's leading cause of death. For millions of families across the country, including mine, the impact of heart defects and disease can be overwhelmingly painful. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, parents can now afford health insurance, and coverage can no longer be denied for a preexisting condition. Also, insurers cannot set arbitrary lifetime or annual limits on care. These protections can be lifesaving, literally, when dealing with congenital heart conditions. And while I am so proud of what we did in health reform to improve access to care, we must do more to improve quality of care--and that means finding ways to better treat and even prevent these diseases.…”