[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 36 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H1361-H1362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Ms. PINGREE of Maine asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my 
colleagues to come together and finally pass a health reform bill that 
provides Americans with the stability, affordability, and access to 
high quality choice in coverage they so richly deserve.
  We must act now. We absolutely cannot afford to wait any longer.
  Over the last year, we saw what happens when you give pharmaceutical 
companies, insurance companies, and entrenched special interests time 
to spend millions of dollars on ad campaigns that spread 
misinformation, fear, and confusion.
  In my home State of Maine, our largest insurer, Anthem, used this 
time to demand a 23 percent rate hike on individuals. And they weren't 
alone. Last year, profits for the five biggest insurance companies rose 
by 56 percent over the year before.
  Enough is enough. Americans are counting on us. They sent us here to

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work hard and make difficult choices, entrusting us to represent them 
with integrity and to set aside partisanship and pettiness to do what 
is best for the American people. And I, for one, look forward to 
showing them that their trust was not misplaced.

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