[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. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I, like other Members of Congress, went home 
and had a townhall meeting on health care and met with many doctors. 
What I found is that the American public knows that the system is 
broken and that we need to change. The difficulty I have got in my 
district is I'm for a public option. But I'm not drawing a line in the 
sand to say I won't vote for a bill that improves the health care 
system, that takes care of the problem concerning preexisting 
conditions, that gives more wellness and preventative programs and that 
sees that we have more family doctors and health centers.
  For that, the liberals in my district, and I'm a liberal, are upset 
with me because I haven't said I won't vote for a bill that doesn't 
have a public option. On the other hand, there are people that are 
against health care at all, and if I vote for anything, they will be 
upset.
  Tonight the President of the United States will address the Nation. I 
plan to listen, and I plan to support the President of the United 
States in providing health care and making the greatest reforms in 
welfare moves for the people of our Nation and improvement in health 
care since 1965 when Medicaid and Medicare were passed. Those were 
great days for America.

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