[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18226]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the House 
Democratic health care reform proposal. The United States currently 
spends per capita almost double the money on health care as any other 
industrialized nation on Earth.
  Despite all of this spending, 45 million Americans languish without 
health care coverage. Every day, 850 Floridians and 14,000 Americans 
are added to the ranks of the uninsured. Since 2007, the number of 
Floridians without coverage has grown by 15 percent. Those who do have 
coverage face skyrocketing premiums, co-pays and fees.
  In recent years, the average premium paid by a family in Florida has 
spiked by $1,400. If we continue down this path, by 2017, health care 
spending will consume 20 percent of our Nation's gross domestic 
product.
  The staggering cost of health care in America is simply 
unsustainable. Businesses cannot compete, and millions of Americans go 
without care or receive care in emergency rooms and hospitals that 
taxpayers pay for.
  For 60 years, Americans have demanded health care reform; and for 60 
years, Congress has failed to deliver on this most basic need. With 
President Obama in the White House, the time for reform has come. We 
must not let the opportunity to achieve comprehensive health care 
reform pass us by. This legislation will finally provide quality and 
affordable coverage to every American.
  This proposal will deliver all of the following: a guarantee of no 
insurance denials for preexisting conditions; a reduction in the 
doughnut hole in Medicare part D to help seniors afford prescription 
drugs; a cap on out-of-pocket expenses so families will not have to go 
into bankruptcy as a result of medical emergencies; and, finally, a 
robust public option that will drive costs down by competing with 
private plans.
  The skyrocketing cost of health care poses a systemic risk to our 
economy. The health care reform package with a strong public option is 
a much better deal for the American people than this unsustainable 
status quo.
  We are on the verge of finally bringing health care costs under 
control and improving the long-term economic health of our country. 
Shame on us if we lack the courage to seize this historic opportunity.

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