[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              IN STRONG SUPPORT OF HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of health 
insurance reform for many reasons but especially for how it helps the 
50 million Americans living in rural areas.
  There are three main problems people in rural America face when it 
comes to the current health care system: lack of choice of affordable 
health insurance, lack of access to health care providers, and 
certainly a lack of access to quality health care and preventative 
care.
  Our health insurance reform bill, H.R. 3962, addresses all of these 
issues and more for rural Americans.
  Fifteen percent of people living in rural areas live in poverty, and 
one in five uninsured Americans lives in rural areas. This bill will 
extend coverage, and the public option will give choice to Americans 
living in rural areas. This bill will make coverage affordable. It will 
invest in our health care infrastructure by training thousands of new 
doctors, nurses, and other health care providers and will put them on 
the ground where they're needed, especially in our rural areas.
  Finally, this bill gives all Americans free access to preventative 
care and encourages and rewards high-quality care. It is what we need 
in rural America and across the country.

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