[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5489-H5490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. HALL of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HALL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I hear stories every day from 
Hudson Valley families about the skyrocketing costs of health care. 
People tell me that having to deal with insurance companies leaves them 
being denied coverage for any reason, plausible or not. They talk about 
medical bills that are already too high before they have to pay even 
more to cover their children who just graduated from college and are 
now struggling to find work.
  Families USA released a study this week showing that 3.5 million New 
Yorkers spend more than 10 percent of their pretax income on health 
care costs and almost 1 million New Yorkers spend more than 25 percent. 
This is

[[Page H5490]]

pretax income, which would be an even higher percentage of their 
disposable income.
  These numbers are one more piece of evidence showing that the time is 
now for comprehensive health care reform. We must reduce health care 
costs for middle class families.

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