[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26547]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Ms. SUTTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, over the course of this last year, I've had 
many meetings with constituents and heard their views about health care 
reform. Among those with whom I met were Dash and Cathy Sokol of 
Lorain, Ohio. Dash is 56; his wife, 53. In February of 2007 Dash was 
diagnosed with prostate cancer. And as he fought that cancer, Cathy was 
diagnosed with breast cancer.
  The Sokols have health insurance coverage through his job at the 
steel mill; but as both were receiving treatment, the costs nonetheless 
began to add up. Their out-of-pocket spending became overwhelming, and 
they're now using their pension funds to pay for the medical bills 
instead of having funds for retirement.
  Cathy told me how guilty she feels about all of that and that their 
family has to pay out of this because their insurance coverage isn't 
adequate. And there are a lot of Americans who need better health care 
insurance.
  When the Sokols came to my office, they brought stacks and stacks of 
invoices, explanations of benefits. They talked about how they're 
trying to pay their bills, and they are doing it, slowly but sure. But 
he worries and he lives in fear that his job will go away at the mill 
and he won't be able to get coverage. That's why we need health care 
reform.

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