[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 26522-26523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              THE TIME FOR HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM IS NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Chu). The Chair recognizes the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I guess I couldn't disagree more with my 
friend from Florida in referring to health care legislation. She's just 
described something I certainly don't recognize.
  I rise today because the time for health care insurance reform has 
arrived. Premiums are dramatically increasing for working families in 
our country. The overall costs of health care are imperiling our 
Federal budgets and the quality of care itself. Individuals with 
previous existing medical conditions are being denied medical coverage 
every day by health insurers in this country.
  The newly introduced bill, H.R. 3962, is a result of unprecedented 
participation by three House committees and more than 160 hours 
dedicated to open hearings, debates, and amendments. The bill and 
committee amendments have been available for review for more than 3 
months, including on our respective Web sites, including my own. I have 
had more than 19,000 contacts from citizens in my district, each 
providing important input. I held a number of town hall meetings, 
including one televised nationally on C-SPAN, and I listened to the 
residents of the 11th District of Virginia.
  I heard from my constituents that they're worried about previous 
existing medical conditions keeping them from obtaining medical 
insurance for their children. They're worried about the proposed 
changes to Medicare and what they might mean to them. I heard that the 
ever-growing cost of health insurance premiums is forcing some to 
choose between health care and financial ruin. They were insistent that 
the cost of whatever health insurance reform is adopted not add to the 
Federal deficit. And I heard that the potential surtax would be harmful 
to many families and small businesses, especially in my district.
  One of the consistent themes of health insurance reform has been the 
outlawing of the insurance company practice of denying coverage and 
forcing families into financial distress as they try to afford 
treatment for things like childhood cancer, hypertension, asthma, 
diabetes, and many other conditions. Currently, 45 percent of us who 
are insured, who have health insurance, have such previous existing 
conditions. H.R. 3962 will ensure that no

[[Page 26523]]

one can be denied coverage because of that previous existing condition.
  The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, an 
organization dedicated to protecting the well-being of American 
seniors, recently expressed its support for this legislation. The bill 
will close the doughnut hole for Medicare part D, which currently costs 
many seniors thousands of dollars out of pocket each year; it will 
permit Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs for 
recipients; and it will eliminate required deductibles and copayments 
for preventative screenings for our seniors. The committee noted that 
H.R. 3962 protects Medicare Advantage recipients from out-of-pocket 
expenses.
  One of the drivers of cost in the current health insurance system is 
the lack of interstate portability. Individuals are not permitted to 
purchase out-of-State insurance plans, thereby restricting competition. 
This bill will allow States to create regional health care choice 
compacts that will provide for greater choice among insurance providers 
and lower costs due to increased competition.
  One of my primary concerns for health insurance reform was that it 
not add to the deficit. President Obama declared that he would not 
support health care reform that added one dime to the Federal debt. 
Over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office has stated that 
H.R. 3962 will actually reduce the Federal deficit by $30 billion.
  The originally proposed surtax to fund reform troubled me, frankly, 
and my constituents, and I worked tirelessly along with other freshmen 
to address that issue. Although my district has the highest median 
household income in the country, we have many two-income families, as 
both parents often work in order to afford the high cost of living in 
our district, child care costs, and the ever-increasing health 
insurance expenses. The surcharge as proposed would have imposed an 
undue burden on many small businesses--the economic engine of our 
economy.
  Earlier this summer, I was among a group of freshman Members invited 
to meet with President Obama, and we expressed our concern on the 
surcharge. Subsequently, we joined with other freshman Members in a 
letter to Speaker Pelosi urging her to increase the income threshold. 
I'm pleased to say that that's been done--to $500,000 for an individual 
and $1 million for a family. That improved level will affect less than 
three-tenths of 1 percent of Americans and exempts the vast majority of 
small businesses.
  Madam Speaker, we need health insurance reform that is affordable; 
that maintains the freedom to choose one's doctor and insurance plan; 
that ends insurance company cherry-picking; and that helps small 
businesses afford health insurance for their employees. Americans 
cannot wait any longer. The time for responsible health insurance 
reform is now.

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