[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21570-21571]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  Mr. BURRIS. Madam President, we have heard a great deal about health 
care reform over the past few months. It is an issue that excites 
passion in many people, from the White House to Wall Street, from the 
Halls of Congress to the streets of Middle America. Last week the 
President called this Congress to action. He drew a line in the sand: 
We must improve the quality of health care in America and reduce cost, 
we must stop insurance companies from dropping the coverage of those 
who need it most, and we must make sure every single American can get 
quality, affordable care. We can all agree on these simple goals, but 
there is wide disagreement about how to get there.
  I recognize this issue may be easier for me than it is for many of my 
colleagues. I will not be running for reelection next year, as many in 
this Chamber will. Because of this, I am free to focus my attention on 
policy rather than politics. I don't have to worry about political 
concerns. I don't have to think about what the special interests will 
say or what campaign donors will think about my latest vote or 
statement on the Senate floor. When I evaluate an idea, I only have to 
ask one question: What does this mean for the American people?
  I believe health care reform is too important to be consumed by 
political concerns. I ask my colleagues to take a moment and ask the 
same question. As we look at health care reform, what would a public 
option mean to the American people? The answer is clear. A public 
option would provide stability and security because it is easily 
portable. A public option will introduce accountability, choice, and 
competition to the national health insurance market. It will provide a 
safety net for those who cannot afford private insurance. It will not 
be a government takeover of health care. Let me repeat that: It will 
not be a government takeover of health care. No other proposal would be 
as effective; no other plan can accomplish our goals.
  I ask my colleagues to separate politics from policy. Let's take a 
look at the facts. Critics have said a public plan will cost too much. 
To back up this claim, they cite studies performed by the same 
corporate insurance giants that posted record profits in a time of 
hardship for many Americans. These companies can increase profits by 
charging higher premiums and denying coverage to the sick. They have an 
interest in trying to prevent the kind of reform that will benefit 
American families. That is why their numbers make the public option 
look bad.
  But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office conducted a study 
that tells a very different story. Rather than costing us money, the 
CBO estimates that a health care insurance option will save taxpayers 
$150 billion over the next 10 years.
  I believe we should not compromise on the public option because it 
will be the key provision that can provide choice and cut costs. I 
believe the American people deserve $150 billion in savings. 
Apparently, some of my Republican colleagues disagree because they 
continue to oppose a public option. That is bad policy, and it is pad 
politics.
  Critics have suggested we include a ``trigger'' mechanism in the 
health care bill. This would allow a public plan to compete with 
private companies only if other reforms failed to bring costs under 
control. This sounds like a reasonable proposal, but we have already 
seen the mechanism at work.
  In the early 1990s, when President Clinton and a Democratic Congress 
tried to pass health care reform, insurance companies brought costs 
under control. Health care costs grew by only $38 billion every year 
that Congress debated reform. Insurance corporations must have been 
afraid that reform would hurt their profits, so they self-regulated, 
keeping costs under control until the threat of reform had passed. Then 
when Republicans claimed the

[[Page 21571]]

majority and health care reform was dropped, costs began to skyrocket. 
Between 1996 and 2007, the cost of health care increased by about $102 
billion every single year.
  These numbers are clear. Fourteen years ago, we saw exactly what a 
trigger provision would look like. It simply doesn't work. What we need 
is a public option, plain and simple. It is time to abandon half 
measures. It is time to abandon empty political gestures. The evidence 
is clear we must make a public option a central component of the health 
care reform legislation. It will compete with private insurers, 
resulting in better coverage for everyone. It will improve health care 
outcomes and allow Americans to keep their current doctor. It will 
provide stability and security, especially if someone loses their job 
and needs to buy their own coverage. It will save money and reduce the 
burden on American businesses and families. It will not lead to a 
government takeover of the health care industry, as some critics have 
claimed. These claims have no basis in fact, and we have heard them 
before.
  Allow me to quote a Republican Senator on the floor of this Chamber 
who said if a health care reform bill is enacted, ``it will be the 
beginning of the end of private hospitals and medical insurance for 
individuals over 65.'' That is a dire prediction. These words were 
spoken by Senator Carl T. Curtis of Nebraska. But he wasn't talking 
about the current health care bill. Senator Curtis spoke these words 
more than 40 years ago in opposition to the Medicare law that 
established one of the most successful programs in American history.
  A public option would not destroy private insurance. It will merely 
help the American people hold them accountable. As President Obama 
reminded us in his recent address, there are many thriving private 
universities in this country, even though they compete directly with 
public universities.
  Over the weekend, I was speaking with a friend of mine who is a 
lawyer. He runs his own small practice, and he is proud of it. The 
subject of health care reform came up, and he told me he was worried. 
Costs went up so much, so fast that he could no longer afford to 
provide health care for all of his employees. He had no choice but to 
cut benefits or drop coverage for some of the people who worked for 
him.
  Sadly, my friend is not alone. Thousands of American small businesses 
are face to face with the same tough choices. But it doesn't have to be 
this way. I told my friend about the public option. I explained how it 
would compete with private companies and the insurance industry, 
driving prices down, which will allow him to shop around and find the 
right plan for an affordable price. He loved the idea. He told me the 
public option would save money and allow him to commit to the people 
who worked for him.
  I am convinced that a public option is the best and most effective 
way to address the health care crisis in America today, and we can make 
it happen. The majority of Senate Democrats has said they would 
consider voting for such a measure. Only one has come out against it. 
So let's seize the chance to enact reform. Let's give the American 
people the health care choices they deserve. After all, if the public 
option is good enough for Members of Congress, it should be good enough 
for the American people. Let's extend a high-quality congressional 
health care plan to everyone. Let's pass a public option that will 
reduce costs and increase accountability. That is good policy, and it 
just so happens it is also good politics.
  I yield the floor.

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