On the recordJuly 11, 2012
Representative Garamendi, I couldn't agree more with the need to exchange statistics here, the real stats on what is happening. We only have a short history, but already it's a powerful statement. When you look at healthy pregnancies, that front-end life investment which this embraces, what a soundness to the rationale for progressive policy. When you think of the dignity factor for those senior years so that people aren't chopping a pill in half so as to meet their family budget and take care of half of their medical needs, this is an exercise of foolishness to repeal at a time when we've just started the engine of recovery and transformation and transition and reform. We also know that--and I hear it from my constituents all the time-- repeal. What's the replacement? There is no hint of a replacement because you took it halfway and said, We're just going to repeal this. That's the political posturing that is so painful, because you have now delivered to society a new opportunity to better steward our resources, to better provide for the dignity in the equation so that people can have that comfort zone, knowing that if they get impacted by some sort of catastrophic illness--and we've seen it in our communities, in our neighborhoods, in our families where peoples' lives are turned around in an instant. To those who you suggested might not buy the insurance, who then bears the burden if there is a catastrophic outcome?…
