[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19560]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1400
                    HEALTH CARE PURCHASING EXCHANGE

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, when a Member of Congress is sworn into 
office, you get a pin, you get a voting card, and you get access to a 
health care purchasing exchange that's operated by the Federal 
employees health plan. Every Member of Congress has the ability to buy 
into or to choose a plan through the Federal employee health plan 
which, when you boil down the health care reform bill that has passed 
the Ways and Means Committee and the Education Committee, is exactly 
what is going to be before this House.
  For example, the minority leader from Ohio has, as a Member of 
Congress, the opportunity to choose 13 different plans under the 
Federal employee health plan. That's what the Obama health care 
proposal plans to do for all Americans. So when the time comes for the 
vote, ask your Member of Congress whether they're prepared to give to 
the people of America exactly what the people of America give to 
Congress, and that vote should be ``yes.''

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