Marcy Kaptur: “I want to thank you, Congressman Tonko, for your leadership on so many issues that relate to the well-being of the…”

“I want to thank you, Congressman Tonko, for your leadership on so many issues that relate to the well-being of the American people and our economy. Health care is one-sixth of the leg of the stool that holds up the Republic. It is a major industry. When you look at all of our medical hospitals, all of our schools, the nursing profession, dentistry, and you take it all together, it is a massive employer across our country. Congressman Garamendi, coming from California, your experience is so vast in terms of your leadership at the State level there, and now here as a Member of Congress. So I'm very proud to stand with colleagues from New York and California, coastal powerhouses, from the State of Ohio right in the middle of the country there. I wanted to add to your discussions this evening some real-life stories that illustrate what you've been talking about tonight. Here's a story from Toledo, Ohio, a real story of a couple that was forced to drop their health coverage after the wife got sick and their health insurance premiums jumped from $800 a month in 2007 to $1,200 a month in 2008. How many families across our country, when somebody gets sick, the premium goes up? This bill is wonderful because it doesn't allow that to happen. For this family, the cost in 2009 would have risen to $1,600 a month, with a $2,500 deductible. So what did the couple do? They dropped their insurance. They couldn't afford the insurance, even though the wife was sick.…”