[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19577]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                AMERICA'S AFFORDABLE HEALTH CHOICES ACT

  (Ms. TSONGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the important 
responsibility in front of us on health care reform.
  The cost of inaction will undoubtedly bear a heavier burden on 
individuals, families, small business owners, and our economy the 
longer we delay. Without reform the cost of health care for the average 
American family is expected to rise $1,800 every year, with no end in 
sight. If we don't act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their 
health insurance every single day.
  The America's Affordable Health Choices Act has helped our Nation 
begin to tackle this issue in a meaningful way. Already we have agreed 
that this bill must prevent insurance companies from denying coverage 
based on your medical history or dropping your coverage when you are 
sick. This is a key and needed reform that will stop insurers from 
gaming the system by covering only healthy people.
  Right now insurance companies decide whether or not to cover you for 
a procedure. If a procedure is deemed too experimental, for example, it 
may not be covered. If it is too expensive, you are responsible for 
paying the costs of it after a certain point.
  If we do not take the steps to regulate insurance industry practices 
now, American families will see their coverage shrink and costs go up.

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