[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18940-18941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




PHYSICIAN-OWNED AND SPECIALTY HOSPITALS WILL BE EMBRACED BY THE HEALTH 
                            CARE REFORM BILL

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I think the real truth is that 
Americans want real health care reform. They understand that families 
are paying $1,800 a year for the uninsured, $1,200 if you're a single 
individual, costs that will continue to grow without health care 
reform. Fourteen thousand Americans lose their health care every day. 
All of the issues that my friends on the other side talk about they 
know are workable issues.
  The bottom line is access to health care. In Texas, our effort and 
intent is to embrace and work with physician-

[[Page 18941]]

owned and specialty hospitals. We want to make sure that they are 
protected in this health care reform. Why? Because they provide 
services to Americans and Texans that others cannot provide. We want to 
ensure that there is access to health care all over, but we also don't 
want to have smoke and mirrors. My friends on the other side should get 
at the table of negotiation, make sure our specialty and physician-
owned hospitals are protected and allowed to grow if they are in the 
process of building, not use the arbitrary deadline; but, yes, we 
should face the question, save Americans $1,800 a year, $1,200 for an 
individual, stop the bleeding, stop the 14,000 that are losing their 
health care.

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