[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21218]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     OUR AILING HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

  (Mr. PERLMUTTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, we have a health care system that is 
ailing and is almost on life support. It needs a major operation, and 
it needs it in three ways.
  First, we have to stop discriminating against people with prior 
illnesses. It's wrong and probably unconstitutional under the 14th 
Amendment.
  Second, small businesses and individuals can't get health care 
insurance because they are too small or they're by themselves and have 
no pool. We need to make insurance and health care financing available 
to small businesses and to individuals.
  Third, we are on the cusp of some tremendous breakthroughs in 
medicine and in health care which will help us with heart disease, 
diabetes and cancer, but in general, wellness across the board, which 
will save this country a lot of money.
  We have the most expensive health care system in the world. We 
deserve the best health care system and financing, and that is the 
operation we are undertaking here in the Congress.

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