[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 111 (Wednesday, July 22, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H8499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE COST OF INACTION

  (Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. I rise today because we cannot forget one important 
factor in the health care reform debate, that the cost of inaction far 
outweighs today's price tag.
  We believe that we can live with our health care system as is; yet we 
forget, until we show up in the emergency room at 1 in the morning with 
our daughter who is sick, that there is already a bureaucrat in the 
room: our health insurance company.
  We believe that those who are uncovered are costing us nothing; yet 
they are overwhelming our emergency care facilities and costing you, 
the taxpayer, overwhelming amounts in fees that they cannot pay out of 
pocket.
  We believe that health care reform is synonymous with rising costs; 
yet we forget that costs are already on the rise. We're paying more out 
of pocket, whether covered by an insurance plan or not, and getting 
less.
  If health care costs continue to increase at the rate they have, most 
American households will be spending 45 percent of their income on 
health insurance by 2016. Premiums have doubled in 9 years, three times 
faster than wages.
  Yes, Mr. Speaker, the cost of inaction far outweighs today's price 
tag.

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