Chellie Pingree: “I couldn't be more pleased to have spent the last year and a few months working on this issue and to be here this month…”

“I couldn't be more pleased to have spent the last year and a few months working on this issue and to be here this month where we may get the opportunity to vote on this bill. Because I want to tell you, Madam Speaker, what I hear from my constituents is get this bill done. When are you going to move forward on this? It is not a perfect bill. In fact, 50 percent of the doctors in my State wish we were passing a single-payer health care bill. But this is going to go a long way. We have heard a lot of talk about process. When are we going to talk about the process of insurance companies? The process that denies my constituents coverage because of a preexisting condition. The times I hear from people who say their health care was cut off. And in my State, where Anthem Blue Cross wants to continually raise rates. You know, last year they asked for a 23 percent increase. When our insurance commissioner said no, you know what they did? They sued the State of Maine. Well, I am ready to make sure that we are standing for our constituents, passing this health care bill, and doing away with the bad process of the insurance companies.”