[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, Maureen Dowd had it right in her column 
today when she said there's a lot of confusion and skepticism out in 
the American public about the health care plan. There isn't, however, a 
lot of opposition. What I've found is that once you spend time with the 
American people explaining things like the public option, they become 
very supportive, as national polls now show. And why shouldn't they? 
There are lots of examples of public and private competition in this 
country.
  We spend billions of dollars as a society on bottled water every day 
when there is a public option, a much less expensive public option, 
turning on the faucet. Millions of Americans every day face the choice, 
they can drive their car to work or they can take the public option, a 
bus or a metro line.
  We understand in this country that sometimes competition and choice 
make a difference for the American people. When we adopt the public 
option as part of our health care reform package, we will make a 
difference in the health care delivery system in this country, and the 
American people will benefit from it.

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