[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 26907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            HEALTH CARE BILL

  (Mr. WELCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, America knows that we live with a health care 
contradiction: some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world 
providing health care to those who have access to the best health care 
in the world, but a health care system that also shuts the door of 
access to 47 million Americans with exploding costs, putting a 
punishing financial burden on our middle class and on our businesses 
that are hanging on to their health care by their fingernails.
  This system has worked very well for the insurance companies--
unregulated, unsupervised, and unapologetic--but they have plundered 
the wallets of families and the profits of businesses to record record 
profits. That, Mr. Speaker, is the status quo.
  On Saturday, this House of Representatives will face a question that 
has eluded it for 60 years: Will we accept the status quo or turn the 
page and provide health care to all Americans?
  Our health care legislation is going to do what needs to be done to 
take that first step, extend access to 36 million Americans, insurance 
reforms, and a public option.

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