Jay Rockefeller: “This is not small, this legislation, Mr. President. It is not universal health coverage, but it is going to affect…”

“This is not small, this legislation, Mr. President. It is not universal health coverage, but it is going to affect between 25 and 30 million Americans, and about 300,000 West Virginians. And it is extraordinary that it is being done. Usually, in the past, we have passed a bill or tried to, and then failed. We have backed away from action. This year we did not. Because of Senator Kassebaum and Senator Kennedy, we came forward and we took on a hard job. And they did it. And they deserve enormous praise. It means that I am going to be able to call Karen McPeak, who I spoke with today. She and her husband have two children, two boys. They have hepatitis and hemophilia. They were making $80,000 a year between them, had two cars, a house, savings, the rest of it. Because they could not get their two boys insured because they had preexisting conditions, they went through their savings, they then lost their house, they lost both their cars, they then gave up their jobs. They went on Medicaid in order to take care of their two sons, all of this because they are good parents. And that is the only way open to them in the system today. This bill will change forever what will happen with the McPeak family. The children will be covered. The parents will be able to go back to the life that they knew. This couple is only one of those in West Virginia. And I rejoice along with them.”