[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27181]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Ms. SCHWARTZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. SCHWARTZ. Mr. Speaker, finding a uniquely American solution to 
ensure that all Americans have access to meaningful, affordable health 
coverage has been an unfulfilled goal for decades. Today, we have the 
opportunity to make this moral and economic imperative a reality.
  The Affordable Health Care for America Act meets the goals of health 
care reform: enhanced consumer protections for those with health 
coverage; new, affordable choices for individuals and small businesses; 
strengthening Medicare for our seniors, with better prescription drug 
coverage and access to primary care; improved delivery of services with 
better health outcomes for all Americans; and the containment of 
rapidly rising costs of health coverage.
  It builds on America's public-private system, and it is paid for now 
and into the future.
  The status quo is unaffordable and unsustainable. Health care reform 
benefits all of us: families, seniors, businesses, and the Nation. I am 
honored to have been a part of bringing this bill to the floor, to this 
historic moment, and I look forward to voting for this landmark 
legislation and meeting the goals of health care reform for all 
Americans. Now is the time to act.

                          ____________________