[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CHANGING THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful for a 
President that believes in the American people. I thank him for his 
budget, thank him for his outrage regarding outrageous AIG employees 
receiving bonuses, thank him for recognizing the 47 million plus that 
are growing who need health care reform, and thank this leadership that 
is beginning to open the discussion on American health care reform that 
is so very important.
  I happen to believe a single-payer system is a health care payment 
system, not a health care delivery system. Health care providers will 
be in a fee-for-service practice and will not be employees of the 
government. Therefore, it is not socialized medicine. Single-payer 
health care is not socialized medicine any more than the public funding 
of education is socialized education or the public funding of the 
defense industry is socialized defense.
  What we simply want is the ability for that single payer to negotiate 
prescription drug prices, hospital prices, nursing home prices. We 
simple want the ability to give the American people the insurance on 
health care that they and their children need.
  Interestingly enough, polls show that 60 to 75 percent of Americans 
believe in this type of system. But the most important aspect is, we 
have a leader--and the leadership in this Congress--that says Americans 
count. Let us change the health care system today, not pay AIG 
employees bonuses.

                          ____________________