On the recordDecember 1, 2011
I thank my colleague from Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say what an honor it is to be here tonight on the floor with my colleagues and the members of the Doctors Caucus. I do stand here as a nurse and also as the daughter of a 90-year-old mother. So Medicare for her, I know how she depends on the system. One of the things we didn't talk about and one of my roles in life was as an attorney, as an attorney who represented a large teaching hospital. About 2 weeks ago, I joined with some of my colleagues on the House floor, and we talked about what this health care law is going to do to our hospitals. When our hospitals and our doctors are affected by reimbursements, by Medicare cuts, that really affects our seniors. That reduces their access to care. So the first thing I want to do tonight as a health care professional and as someone who cares deeply--and I think that's the beauty of this tonight, of our getting together as people who have invested their lives in health care, who love people, who care about people. This isn't a Republican or a Democratic issue. This is an American issue because health care affects all of us. This is a group of people who really believes that there is a better way, that there is a much better way to provide access to health care in our country without jeopardizing that access and without jeopardizing the quality of care that our country has to offer.…
