[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17049]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, we in this body will deliver a health 
care reform package and fulfill our and the President's promise to 
America. That makes this a special time to be in the Congress, and it 
is a great privilege to be a member of one of the main committees that 
has responsibility for this product.
  Although there is still a need to improve on some measurements, 
because of the public plan and exchange, the improvements in Medicare, 
Medicaid and SCHIP, the mandates for coverage, a robust benefits 
package, accountability care organizations and medical homes, and the 
provisions already included to reduce health disparities, our Nation 
will be a fairer and more just country and we will not only save money, 
but we will be a more productive and competitive nation as well.
  We must not let the cost today stand in the way of our destined and 
future greatness. A significant investment in health care will reap 
savings in the not-too-distant future. Let's make sure that quality, 
comprehensive, and culturally and linguistically appropriate health 
care is available and accessible to every person living in this 
country, in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and all of the 
offshore areas or territories. Let's make sure that universal health 
care is universal health care.

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