Paul Tonko: “I know that we are coming close to the end of our hour. I just want to state that perhaps, if this unfairness were not…”

“I know that we are coming close to the end of our hour. I just want to state that perhaps, if this unfairness were not being levied upon, thrust upon American families, maybe this moment of reform wouldn't be happening, but because there is that unfairness, the propensity to push for this reform has now reached a very solid height. I think that, as we go forward, as we are waxing anecdotally, what comes to mind for me is a couple whom I know who was hit with a catastrophic illness--a husband and wife team. Their premiums increased by 37 percent over the course of 2 years, and they are left now with one wage earner in the family. Both had been working. As the wife of this couple was impacted by catastrophic illness, they are now left with one wage earner and with a pile of debt that is $18,000 worth of uncovered medical expenses. So that's what this is about. That's what feeds the passion of this debate.”