Political Quotes

“this week is the sixth annual Cover the Uninsured Week. Community organizations and foundations around the country will be hosting events to highlight the need for health reform. Across the Nation, we all know this: 47 million people lack health insurance. In my State of Ohio, 1.2 million people, 11 percent of the population, are uninsured. It is no different in the Presiding Officer's State of Pennsylvania. But that even one American lacks health coverage is a national embarrassment. We are the wealthiest Nation in the world. We spend $2.38 trillion a year, $2.3 trillion a year in health care, but we cannot make sure that every American has health care coverage? Of course we can. Every other industrialized nation on this Earth ensures access to coverage. We in this body have chosen not to. Last year Congress tried to provide health coverage to millions more low-income children. The House and Senate both passed bills twice to provide $35 billion over 5 years in additional funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Plan. It was the biggest bipartisan initiative to expand health care coverage in years. Twice--not once but twice--the President vetoed that legislation. We spend more than $3 billion every week in the war in Iraq. The President vetoed legislation spending $7 billion a year to insure 4 million children; $3 billion a week every week in Iraq; the President vetoed $7 billion a year to insure 4 million children.”