On the recordMarch 16, 2010
This morning I stood at the American Cancer Society in my district and announced that I will support the President's historic reform effort. I am supporting it because right now skyrocketing health care costs aren't just crippling the U.S. economy; they are emptying pocketbooks in central and western New York. Regular, middle class people can't afford the health care they need. Insurance companies have denied care. Kids are graduating from college and they can't find care. People with life-threatening conditions need to hold bake sales and bowl-a-thons in order to pay their health care bills. Families are going bankrupt not because they were irresponsible, but because they trusted their health insurance companies. Now, experts and nonpartisan organizations say that this bill will save money. I believe that the cost-savers in this bill will save money, but I know that doing nothing will bankrupt our country and our families and our small businesses. I stood this morning with two remarkable women from my district. One had insurance and one did not. They are both battling cancer. For them, this debate isn't about partisan politics; it is about their lives. They strongly support this effort, and so do I.
