[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20096-20097]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              IT IS TIME TO ENACT REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, it is time to speak a little 
truth to power, to the powerful special interests and to the insurance 
companies that are willing to deep-six health care reform for millions 
of Americans by spreading misinformation and by scaring people. All the 
while, these big insurance companies raise deductibles, premiums, and 
copays. They drop people with preexisting conditions. They limit 
coverage, and they reap billions in excessive salaries, profits, and 
bonuses.
  Look at the facts: United Health earned $2.9 billion last year. 
WellPoint reported profits of $2.5 billion. For CEO pay, United Health 
Group's Stephen Hemsley made $3.2 million. WellPoint's Angela Braly 
made $9.8 million. It doesn't stop there. Former United Health Group's 
CEO, Bill McGuire, left his job in 2006 and still took home $1.1 
billion. That's a lot of zeros.
  Who are we kidding, Mr. Speaker? This is all about money--campaign 
contributions, CEO salaries, millions in advertising to kill reform, 
and billions in profits. That's what's at stake here.
  It's time to stop this nonsense and enact real reform that includes a 
public insurance option based on Medicare

[[Page 20097]]

rates and with a network of providers to lower costs and to provide 
quality care.

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