[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              WHERE IS THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH REFORM BILL?

  (Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, it will be interesting to go to 
that Web site and find what is the so-called Republican beginning of a 
proposal, because 139 days ago the Republican leadership promised to 
introduce their own health reform bill and yet we are still waiting.
  Since the mysterious Republican plan hasn't been introduced, the 
American people can't really see what's in it. It's all being written 
behind closed doors. What little we do know of what they are planning 
should bring a smile to the faces of insurance company CEOs.
  Their leader, Mr. Boehner, admitted the other day that their 
collection of bills does not end discrimination based on preexisting 
conditions. Nowhere in their collection of bills do they help more 
Americans afford health care. Nowhere in their collection of bills do 
they end discrimination from insurance companies' practice of dropping 
coverage if you get sick.
  Four months ago, Democrats made public our health care reform 
proposal by posting it online for anyone to see. Since then, there have 
been multiple committee hearings during which the Republicans had ample 
opportunity to debate the bill and offer amendments.
  Republicans won't even let the public see their bill. What are they 
hiding? Will they include Representative Broun's proposal to privatize 
Medicare? How about dismantling the entire Medicare system?
  Americans deserve to know.

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