[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23078-23079]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, it is long past the time since this 
Congress should be passing legislation to create a universal single-
payer system of health care in the United States. This past week we saw 
General Motors cut $1 billion a year in health care expenses for 
750,000 auto workers and retirees. People who have worked every day of 
their lives and made a contribution to this society are suddenly 
finding their health care benefits drastically reduced.
  Over 40 million Americans do not have health insurance. Millions more 
cannot afford to pay health insurance because they are finding 
premiums, co-pays, and deductibles rising. It is time that the 
government stepped in dramatically to create a single-payer system. It 
is time that we realize that health care is a basic right in our 
society. It is time that we saw that we are already paying for 
universal health care. We are not getting it. One out of every four 
dollars goes for the activities of the for-profit system, for corporate 
profits, advertising, marketing, the cost of paperwork, 20 to 30 
percent.
  It is time that we stood up for the American people and for the 
health of our people and passed H.R. 676, a universal single-payer 
health care system.

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