[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15256]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. ELLISON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, the American people don't need to be told 
there is a health care crisis in America. They're the ones living it 
every day. They're the ones who, for decades, have seen the price they 
pay out of every paycheck for health insurance skyrocket while their 
coverage has shrunk or has been denied altogether. They've seen the 
increasing copays and premiums.
  We can give every American a choice. We can offer an alternative to 
the mountains of medical debt that so often lead to bankruptcy. We can 
offer an alternative to the fear that they or their children might be 
denied a doctor visit simply because it is more profitable to deny them 
coverage than to see them get well.
  I want to encourage all Americans to stand up to the same fear-
mongering attacks that have prevented them for decades from getting the 
health care they deserve. We can offer a public option that helps all 
Americans. I implore the American people to remember that we are not 
the country of ``no, we can't.'' We are America, the country of ``yes, 
we can.''

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