Al Franken: “I rise today to talk about health reform. I would like to start by telling you the story of a little boy named Isaac.…”

“I rise today to talk about health reform. I would like to start by telling you the story of a little boy named Isaac. From the day his parents brought him home as a newborn to Isanti, MN, he was sick all the time. He had everything from the flu to bronchitis to ear infections. But unlike most little boys, Isaac never seemed to get better. His parents, as any parents would, did everything they could to help him. They brought him to every medical specialist they could think of but no one could figure out what was wrong. Finally, Isaac was diagnosed with a rare disease called common variable immunodeficiency. This means every 2 weeks a nurse has to visit his home to give him the medicine that lets his body fight off germs. Without this medicine, Isaac's body cannot fight off even a common cold. The home visits and IV medications Isaac needs are expensive. But Isaac's parents had health insurance, so Isaac was able to have a normal childhood. Today, Isaac is a 19-year-old college student in Minnesota with dreams of becoming an English teacher.”