Jay Rockefeller: “just over a month ago, President Clinton came here to Capitol Hill not just to tell America what the state of the Nation…”

“just over a month ago, President Clinton came here to Capitol Hill not just to tell America what the state of the Nation is but to deliver a message to us from America in no uncertain terms. Basically, our health care system is in absolute crisis, and we here in Washington are expected to fix it. The American people want us to fix it, expect us to. Amazingly, there is still debate about whether we can get the job done. I am astounded by that. I am offended by that. I sit and observe in sadness as people nit-pick health care while not putting out comprehensive plans of their own, as the President and Mrs. Clinton have done. Madam President, there should not be any doubt about the fact of the crisis. Eighty-one million Americans are paying more or cannot get insurance, or are locked into second-rate jobs because they have what the insurance industry brands as a ``preexisting condition.'' Fifty-eight million Americans lose coverage for some part of each year. Today, 700,000 Americans who have health insurance will lose their health insurance. Another 70,000 tomorrow, 70,000 did yesterday, all hard-working, tax-paying citizens. But they will lose their health insurance. It is not their fault, but their tragedy. One million Americans are forced to stay on welfare.”