Rich Neal: “One lesson that both Democrats and Republicans learned from the health care reform debate in the 103d Congress is that…”

“One lesson that both Democrats and Republicans learned from the health care reform debate in the 103d Congress is that retaining access to affordable health insurance is an anxiety that plagues most American families. We exhausted the health care debate a few years ago in this Congress searching for ways to do it all--to make health care cheaper, better, and more accessible for everyone. And though we didn't pass health care reform legislation at that time, the fact that we are here today talking about limiting pre-existing condition exclusions and making health insurance portable--two consensus issues that Democrats and Republicans both support--is proof that our efforts did not fail. I'd like to take a moment today to applaud our President for choosing to act upon America's health care concerns, and for having the courage to bring the issue of health care reform to the forefront of our national agenda. The United States, and Massachusetts in particular, is home to the best quality health care in the world, and it is our job as Members of this House to make quality care available to Americans.”