[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1220
 
                  REAL REASONS FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. DERRICK asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, amid all the rhetoric surrounding the 
health care debate, we must not forget about the real reasons we must 
act--and act soon.
  Mrs. Brenda McConnell, from Laurens County, SC, worked hard all her 
life in order to help provide a comfortable living for her family. In 
October 1992, she underwent a liver transplant at the Medical 
University of South Carolina.
  She was recently informed by her insurer that the limit on her 
insurance had just been reached and they could no longer pay for her 
antirejection drugs that cost over $1,200 a month.
  Without these drugs, Mrs. McConnell could die. But, because of the 
kindness of local organizations and the manufacturer of the drug, she 
will continue to receive her necessary prescription for the time being.
  It is truly a wonderful thing when a community pulls together for one 
of their own, but a long-term solution to her problem still needs 
addressing. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are being called upon 
to do. We must get to the work of reforming the health care system so 
that we can take care of our own--and so we can do it without 
bankrupting our families, our businesses, or our country. There is an 
answer, and we must all work together to find it.

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