Roy Cooper: “this is a very sad day for this House. I bring a unique perspective, I think, to this legislation because I represent…”

“this is a very sad day for this House. I bring a unique perspective, I think, to this legislation because I represent probably more hospitals than any other Member of this body. Because Nashville, Tennessee, is the headquarters town for most of the for-profit hospitals in America. We also have a leading academic medical center and many nonprofit hospitals with some 300 health care companies headquartered in our city. We are Health Care U.S.A. I have also been a professor of health care policy at Vanderbilt Business School; the last 7 years studying these issues. And in my prior service in Congress, I was one of the leaders in trying to craft bipartisan health care policy, getting Democrats and Republicans to work together, to do the right thing for our Nation's seniors and for all of our citizens. This bill, which we were finally allowed to see a few short hours ago, is a travesty. First of all, very few, if any, Members really know what is in it. There simply has not been enough time. And our seniors deserve better than a martial law rule. Why not at least the regular 3 days, so Americans can see what is in this bill? What is the other side afraid of? What are they afraid of? Sunshine is the best policy. Sunshine is the best disinfectant for what may or may not be in this bill. Now, I had a head start, I have been trying to follow proceedings closely over the last several months of the conference from which all Democrats have been excluded in the House.”