John A. Boccieri: “And so many, so many Ohioans--just like so many Americans--are one accident, one medical emergency, one diagnosis away…”

“And so many, so many Ohioans--just like so many Americans--are one accident, one medical emergency, one diagnosis away from complete and utter bankruptcy. Yet we spend here in America, like Mr. Kennedy said, more than any other industrialized country in the world on health care. More than any other industrialized country. Yet, our life expectancy is on par with Cuba. We, as a Nation, spend nearly $12,000 for family coverage; $12,000 of disposable income is going for health care insurance. My friends, this not only makes moral sense and makes sense in terms of the right thing to do, but makes sense in economic terms. Let me tell you this. We have to cover every American. We have to have a system that covers every American. We need to emphasize prevention, and we have to make sure that health care is portable between jobs, something that has been played out so often in Ohio as Ohioans transfer from job to job because of the downturn in our economy. And we need to end the discrimination that's based on pre-existing conditions.”