[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BACA. Last night in a joint session of Congress, President Obama 
urged Congress that ``now is the time to deliver health care.'' We 
heard it loud and clear. But what we also heard was a remark that was 
disrespectful to this House and the American people serving here in the 
United States Congress.
  Access to adequate health care should be a right, not a privilege for 
those who can afford it. I stand here voicing the concerns of 217,000 
uninsured in my district. No parent should have to worry about paying 
for a mortgage or paying for expensive health care insurance. No senior 
citizen should retire and have to balance paying for a doctor's visit 
or paying for groceries. No one should be denied health care because of 
a preexisting condition. That is not right. This is un-American.
  I urge my colleagues to be players in this debate and not just stand 
by and watch and be critical. Working together, we can make a 
difference.
  As the President stated: ``We did come not to fear the future. We 
came here to shape it.'' Let's get health care reform right now. I ask 
all of us to work together.

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