Political Quotes

“this vote is about values. If you are an uninsured kid in America and you have appendicitis, the chance of death is five times that of a kid who is insured. This is about values. We are the only developed country in the world that does not extend full health insurance to its children. History has shown no nation can truly consider itself great without providing for the well-being of its most vulnerable. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the bill. It is clear that the Congress sees value in this critical investment in our Nation's children, having passed a similar measure not once but twice in its last session. Thankfully, we will now have a President who shares that same compassion and commitment to our low- and middle-income working families. Given the ongoing economic crisis, the number of at-risk children will only continue to increase. The number of Americans who are now unemployed, and ostensibly now without health care, has increased by more than half in the past year, from 4.7 percent to 7.2 percent nationally. When you factor in the skyrocketing costs of health care, coupled with the economic pinch being placed on people's pocketbooks, today's American families are being bled dry and countless children are being left without health care. In that context, we are making a critical investment in the health of our Nation by adding these 4 million children to the 7 million already covered by SCHIP.”