Political Quotes

“I yield myself 4 minutes. I am pleased to join the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) in supporting H.R. 3204, which reauthorizes funding for State high-risk insurance pools. I commend my colleagues, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns), for their work on this legislation. In many States, high-risk insurance pools are the only option for individuals who have been denied access to coverage in the commercial insurance system. The legislation before us is intended not only to strengthen existing high-risk pools, but to help States without such pools, my home State of Ohio is one of them, to help States without such pools to establish them. But as we reauthorize this legislation, it is important to place high-risk insurance pools in context. These pools are a symptom of a troubled insurance system, not a cure for it. The fact is, health insurance itself is supposed to serve as a high- risk pool. It used to be that health insurance was offered to everyone at the same premium, because any one of us could be the unlucky one to need the health care we cannot afford. By spreading risk broadly, good health insurance can be affordable for everyone regardless of their health needs, regardless of their health status. But commercial insurers did what businesses do, they figured out how to maximize profits. You can hardly blame them for that. You can, however, blame policymakers in this body and other places.…”