[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 26346-26347]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, our job as legislators is to write and pass 
a bill that will make it easier for every American family to afford to 
live a healthy life. Democratic Members have worked tirelessly over the 
past weeks, months, and even years to fulfill this tremendous 
responsibility. We have listened to the vast majority of Americans who 
demand that we stop health insurance companies from taking advantage of 
each of us. We have listened to the vast majority of Americans who know 
that a public option for health insurance is the best way to keep 
competition up, keep costs down, and keep insurance companies honest. 
We continue to listen to Senators as diverse ideologically as they are 
diverse geographically as we craft a final bill.
  Today, we are closer than ever before to making sure every American 
can access quality, affordable health care--and making sure they have 
the choice of whether they get that care through their private insurer 
or a public one.
  We are closer than ever, but we are not there quite yet. As we head 
for the finish line, one of the most important parts of this process is 
transparency. That is exactly why the two Senate committees that 
drafted the foundations of this bill--the HELP and Finance Committees--
conducted lengthy public meetings. At these meetings, the American 
people could see that the committees considered and approved numerous 
amendments and proposals by both Democrats and Republicans. For 
example, you could go on the HELP Committee's Web site and watch them 
adopt 160 Republican amendments into this bill. It is in the name of 
transparency that the committees' legislation has been fully available 
on the Internet for many weeks now. The HELP Committee's bill has been 
on its Web site since June 9, and the Finance Committee's bill has been 
on its Web site since September 16.
  It is important to understand where we are in this process. Right 
now, we are merging those two bills into one bill. That work is 
ongoing, and many different options are being weighed. The CBO is 
analyzing those options, and based on their analysis we will decide 
what to put into a bill. Those who demand to see the bill this minute 
forget that a final bill doesn't yet exist. If it did, we would bring 
it to the floor. All should remember that as soon as the CBO results 
are in and as soon as important decisions are made based on those 
results, we have pledged to make the final bill available to the full 
Senate and the American people. The final bill will be public as soon 
as it is written. I will repeat that so there is no confusion. The 
final bill will be made public as soon as it is written.
  Only one final decision has been made so far. We are going to give 
people the power of deciding whether they want to get their health 
insurance from somewhere other than the reckless private companies that 
are responsible for the mess we are in, and we are going to give the 
States the power of deciding whether that choice is best for its 
citizens.
  So that is where we stand. It is important to get these facts on the 
record, as misinformation, half-truths, and distractions fill the 
airwaves.
  Let's be honest. These facts don't matter much to those who are dead 
set on opposing health insurance reform for partisan reasons. They 
don't matter to the Republican Senator who said he hopes the effort to 
fix our broken health care system will be President Obama's 
``Waterloo.'' They don't matter to the Republican Senator who said 
Republicans will oppose the bill regardless of any concessions 
Democrats make. They don't matter to the Republican Senator who said, 
``I don't have to read it, or know what's in it. I am going to oppose 
it anyways.'' Their strategy is to deny the undeniable fact that 
families' personal health and pocketbooks are suffering. Their strategy 
is to defend the indefensible practices of insurance companies that 
make huge profits on the backs of our seniors and our sick. Their 
strategy is to ignore polls that clearly and consistently show the 
American people support a public option and instead argue, without 
evidence, that they don't.
  Republicans make no effort to hide their shortsighted and self-
destructive strategy. In fact, Roll Call newspaper today reports that 
they ``have mapped out a strategy to draw out debate'' rather than work 
with us to strengthen the bill. Politico reported last week that 
Republican consultant Frank Luntz is out with a new memo urging 
Republicans to fake bipartisanship. You will recall that, back in May, 
Luntz encouraged Republicans to oppose a health care reform bill before 
there was a single hearing held to determine what should be in the bill 
and long before a single bill was even written. Now Luntz says 
Republicans have more to gain by faking bipartisanship and from 
complaining about the health care bill than working to improve it. All 
of us--every single American--stand to lose if that happens. I know 
Senate Republicans appreciate transparency because their strategy is as

[[Page 26347]]

transparent as it comes. That strategy is simply to delay, delay, 
delay. And now the newspaper Roll Call acknowledges that.
  At the same time, I couldn't help but notice that while Senate 
Republicans demand transparency, their own plan is being drafted, 
obviously, in secret--if, in fact, there is one. We don't know how much 
their bill will cost--the Republican bill--if there is one. We don't 
know whom it will help, if anybody, or how it will keep insurance 
companies from abusing Americans. They won't tell us how their plan 
will lower your health care bills so you don't have to choose between 
medication and your mortgage. So I can only conclude one of two things: 
Either the Senate Republicans are drafting a bill in secret or their 
proposal simply doesn't exist and the Republicans have no solutions to 
one of the greatest and most urgent challenges of our time--health 
insurance reform. Whichever it is should concern the American people 
greatly.
  I will acknowledge there is one thing that won't be in their bill 
secretly or in a transparent fashion, and that is to repeal the 
McCarran-Ferguson Act that exempts insurance companies from antitrust 
laws. The insurance companies love that because they can take advantage 
of the American people, as they have since 1945, since that act became 
law.
  It is increasingly clear to the American people who is trying to help 
them. It is clear who is reaching across the aisle and negotiating in 
good faith and compromising where necessary.
  Mr. President, we want to work with the Republicans, but how can you 
work with a party that says that they hope President Obama fails and 
that this is his Waterloo? It doesn't matter what is in the bill, they 
will oppose it. Again, today, we heard from Roll Call that their only 
strategy is to delay. I hope that will change and they will work with 
us to come up with some ideas on how they can improve health insurance. 
Let's get the bill on the floor and start debating it.

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