[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25235]
[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. As we move closer to health care reform, let us not lose 
focus on who exactly we are trying to help.
  Our seniors need help as they try to make ends meet between fixed 
income and increased health care costs. Our families need help as they 
are living paycheck by paycheck, often postponing doctor's visits. In 
my district in the Inland Empire, we have at least 217,000 who are 
uninsured, and this number keeps rising every day.
  All of these individuals have nowhere else to turn to. We must not 
turn our backs on them. I state, we must not turn our backs on them. We 
have seen what a quick fix can do to health care reform. This only 
leads to more problems with expensive consequences.
  Health care reform must include a public option, where everyone can 
participate and not be left out in the cold. A public option will bring 
down health care costs and give individuals and families a choice, 
instead of leaving them stranded without coverage.
  I urge my colleagues to remember who this health care reform is for 
and not let special interests cloud the picture of real reform. Let's 
support health care reform.

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