[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18579-18580]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    AMERICANS WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS NEED HEALTH INSURANCE TOO

  (Ms. KILROY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KILROY. Mr. Speaker, as we have worked these last several months 
on the issue of health care, I have engaged my community in a variety 
of townhall meetings, forums and opportunities for them to let me know 
what they need out of the health care bill, to tell me their stories. I 
would like to share one of those with you. My constituent writes, This 
is not my story, but it is the story of a close friend who died last 
November at the age of 50. During his life, he was afflicted with 
diabetes and heart disease. He was self-employed and could not get 
health insurance because of his preexisting conditions. A few months 
prior to his death, he asked me to review a brochure advertising a plan 
to get discounts on various things, including medical services and 
drugs, but clearly stated it was not insurance. I told him the company 
was not promising anything, only a hope that discounts could be 
obtained. He was going to pay the $178 per month premium anyway because 
he couldn't get insurance or any other kind of help. A few months 
later, he suddenly died.
  Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity here with H.R. 3200 to pass a 
bill of historic proportions to address issues such as this constituent 
and many Americans are facing, to have a health care plan that is 
affordable and accessible for all Americans, that will lower the cost 
of health insurance, to provide a public option that gives people a 
choice of doctors and plans, and puts an emphasis on prevention and 
wellness. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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