On the recordMarch 18, 2010
Madam Speaker, each of us faces a question about whose side we are on today. Will we continue to protect the insurance companies, or will we stand up for the American people? Protect the insurance companies, or stand up for people like Rebecca Gentry, small business owner, whose bottom line is suffering as the cost of health insurance for her employees continues to skyrocket. Protect the insurance companies or stand up for people like Joseph Crumb, an educational assistant, who can't get health care coverage for his neck and back injuries because his insurance company said they were preexisting conditions. Protect the insurance companies or stand up for people who are uninsured like Elise Perez-Alford, who will soon have only the emergency room to care for her seriously ill 2-year-old daughter because she can no longer afford the copayments. The time has come for us to stand up for the American people and to hold the insurance companies accountable. ____________________





