[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10289]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    ENSURING A STABLE VACCINE SUPPLY

  (Mr. MURPHY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, two quick health care issues. Each year 
vaccinations save $52 billion in health care costs and 33,000 lives. 
However, the government's policy of selecting the lowest bidder, 
combined with a fear of lawsuits, has driven manufacturers out of the 
United States. This contributed to last year's flu vaccine shortage, 
where 30 million doses were lost due when a foreign manufacturer's 
supply was contaminated. The U.S. Congress needs to follow through with 
incentives to secure more U.S.-based vaccine manufacturers.
  Secondly, today's news in the paper about Type II diabetes was 
disturbing. One point two million more cases appear per year, costing 
$132 billion. Type II diabetes is caused by poor diet and lack of 
exercise, and as Members of Congress we need to urge all Americans to 
make sure they take better care of themselves for this disease that 
causes stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness. The risks 
are huge. The costs are huge. The benefits are great if we take better 
care of ourselves.

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