[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  THE CURRENT HEALTH CARE REFORM PLAN: IF THIS IS THE BEST WE CAN DO, 
                    THEN OUR BEST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Is this the best we can do: mandating private 
insurance, forcing people to buy private insurance policies or pay a 
penalty, guaranteeing at least $50 billion in new business for the 
insurance companies?
  Is this the best we can do: government negotiates rates which will 
drive up insurance costs, but the government won't negotiate with the 
pharmaceutical companies which will drive up pharmaceutical costs?
  Is this the best we can do: only 3 percent of Americans will go to a 
new public plan while currently 33 percent of Americans are either 
uninsured or underinsured?
  Is this the best we can do: eliminating the State single-payer option 
while forcing most people to have to buy private insurance?
  If this is the best we can do, then our best isn't good enough and we 
have to ask some hard questions about our political system, such as: 
Health care or insurance care? Government of the people or government 
by the corporations?

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