[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MICHELLE'S LAW

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                               speech of

                        HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.-

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 30, 2008

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to voice my strong support for 
H.R. 2851, Michelle's Law. This important legislation amends the 
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public 
Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group 
health plan from terminating coverage of a dependent child due to a 
medically necessary leave of absence from a postsecondary education 
institution.
  Madam Speaker, few Americans can simply write a check to cover the 
cost of attending college. The average college student graduates with 
alarming amounts of debt, in fact, most undergraduate students graduate 
with close to $20,000 in student loan debt. I find it unconscionable 
that, in a time of worsening financial burdens, we would also place the 
burden of costs associated with unexpected illness on the lives of our 
young students.
  According to Harvard Medical School, the leading cause of bankruptcy 
in the United States is due to unpaid medical bills, most of which were 
filed while the individual or family had health insurance. My bill, 
H.R. 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act, creates a 
health care system where there is no such thing as medical debt, 
problems with credit, or filing for bankruptcy because of unpaid 
medical bills. Under H.R. 676, financial insecurity from fear of 
indebtedness from medical expenses will cease to exist.
  Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that every human being requires four 
things to lead a happy and productive life: shelter, employment, 
education, and health. When a person has access to the aforementioned 
four requirements, a fifth, justice, holds them all together. When a 
student loses full-time status because of an illness and access to 
healthcare, a home and education become more difficult to maintain. 
However, with Michelle's Law, we can provide justice to college 
students and help them retain access to care so they can work towards 
the American dream.
  Madam Speaker, instead of making it more difficult for the young men 
and women of our nation to achieve higher education, we should be doing 
everything in our power to facilitate completion of their courses of 
study, especially when faced with hardships such as debilitating 
physical or mental illness. Please pass Michelle's Law, and help ensure 
that there is one less impediment to education and healthcare for our 
nation's hardworking college students.

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