On the recordJanuary 19, 2011
I thank the gentlewoman from California. The story that Congresswoman Eshoo told is making very real what the consequences are of taking away from families benefits that they have and now depend on. Just a quick story about Vermont, to make it, again, real. A woman by the name of Donna, from Plainfield, Vermont, a hard-working person, she and her husband both work. Their young son graduated from school, got an entry-level job that paid $8 or $9 an hour. And as the case with most entry-level jobs, it came without health care. That child was no longer eligible to stay on his parents' policy, and they were doing all they could to pay their bills. Health care is expensive. They couldn't afford to buy a separate policy for their son. And most of the time that works out, but sometimes it doesn't, and it didn't in this case. Their son had a car accident, $20,000 in medical bills. They are still paying those bills off. When we passed the health care bill that included the provision that sons and daughters who were starting out in life, taking that first job, usually without health care, but learning job skills, fiscal discipline, personal responsibility, the worst, the bill we passed allowed those kids to stay on our policies until age 26. It makes an enormous amount of sense in the peace of mind it provided.
