[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

  (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, throughout the August recess, 
like my colleagues, I met with thousands of my constituents in 
Maryland's Fourth Congressional District. I heard the stories of so 
many who go to work every day but who also go without health insurance 
or with inadequate insurance to meet their family's needs.
  I heard from seniors whose out-of-pocket costs are soaring, families 
with insurance but who have been broken and bankrupt because of a 
tragic illness, parents concerned about their newly adult children who 
are no longer eligible for health benefits, and small businesses that 
want to provide health insurance but can't because of the staggering 
costs.
  It's time for us to stop talking and to start acting to provide 
quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all. We can't allow 
the loudest voices backed by corporate special interests, health 
insurance companies, and drug companies to stand in the way of 
meaningful reform. And we can't just tinker around the edges of reform 
either without bringing down costs and providing accountability.
  I join my colleagues in Congress in support of a robust public health 
insurance option that relies on Medicare providers as an essential 
mechanism to encourage real competition, lower costs for all Americans 
and keep insurance and drug companies honest.

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