[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14900]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HELPING AMERICANS ACQUIRE AND RETAIN HEALTH INSURANCE

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the House in the next few weeks is about to 
unveil a health reform plan that will seek to cover all Americans, 
reduce costs and basically improve the quality of our health care 
system. When I talk to my constituents, they tell me how it is 
increasingly difficult for them to find affordable health insurance 
either because their employer will not provide it or they go on the 
individual market, and it's simply too expensive. The current system is 
simply unsustainable. We want people to be able to keep their health 
insurance if they like it and if they can afford it, but we must 
provide alternatives for people that can't find health insurance or 
find it increasingly difficult to afford the health insurance that they 
want. I think this is a real priority for the American people, and it 
will be a priority for this Congress because we understand that the 
average American increasingly sees health insurance as an economic 
issue, something that's making it increasingly difficult for them to 
get through the day if they can't find an affordable plan. So I'm 
looking forward to this. I think it's going to be a major achievement 
for this Congress.

                          ____________________