[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26537]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. PIERLUISI asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the 
Affordable Health Care for America Act. This bill lives up to its name. 
Most importantly from my perspective, this bill does justice to the 4.4 
million American citizens living in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. 
territories. Too often in the past, the territories have been treated 
as an afterthought in important legislation. Thanks to the efforts of 
leadership, that is not the case with this bill.
  While the legislation is not perfect, it constitutes a giant step 
forward. The bill addresses the unprincipled funding disparities that 
the territories have always faced under Medicaid. It also provides 
funding to enable Americans of modest means residing in the territories 
to purchase subsidized coverage through the health insurance exchange. 
It makes my constituents eligible for the worthy consumer protections 
established in the bill.
  I hope the Senate will follow the House's lead, and I will continue 
to work with our allies in that Chamber to ensure that their bill 
treats American citizens in the territories in a fair and just manner.

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