Political Quotes

“What this health debate boils down to is this question: Whose side are you on? Are you listening to and fighting for the American people or are you listening to insurance executives and fighting to line their pockets? I am listening to and fighting for the American people, and especially the Wisconsinites who will benefit so significantly from health care reform. This evening, I rise to speak about how health care reform will help women. Women shoulder a disproportionate burden in today's broken health care system. Perhaps most shocking is the discrimination women face in health insurance simply because we are women. To some insurers, being a woman is a preexisting condition. In Wisconsin, as in many other States, if a woman and a man purchase identical insurance coverage in the individual market, the woman will be charged more even though the medical services covered are exactly the same. In small businesses in Wisconsin and across the country, insurance companies are allowed to count how many male and female employees work at that small business. If the workforce is disproportionately female, the insurance company charges more. So, what sort of small businesses pay the most for health care? Child care centers, home health agencies, and other small businesses with female-dominated workforces. Adding insult to injury is that we all know that women's pay still lags behind men. Nationally, women earn 78 cents to every dollar earned by a man.”