[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 22]
[House]
[Pages 29844-29845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HEALTH CARE REFORM IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, this weekend, my Senator and constituent, 
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, made a statement on the floor of the 
Senate that was, quite honestly, pretty remarkable. It was special, not 
because it was passionately delivered or because it was well-
constructed, but because it so perfectly illuminated just how 
disconnected from reality the Senate's opponents of health care reform 
are.
  Of the legislation pending in Congress, the minority leader said, ``I 
am sure there are people in Kentucky who are for it. I have not met 
one.''
  Not one? Needless to say, this Kentuckian, for one, found the 
statement difficult to swallow, but that's beside the point.
  The point is that my senior Senator made the claim despite poll after 
poll showing that the majority of the American people are for it, 
including not one but more than 1 million Kentuckians. The minority 
leader has read the same polls I have. I would venture to say that he 
has heard from many of the same thousands of Louisvillians from whom 
I've gotten calls, letters, e-mails, faxes, and visits. Everywhere I go 
in Louisville--from the VA hospital to community cookouts to the aisles 
of Kroger--I hear from people with valid perspectives on both sides of 
the issues, and we were elected to listen to all of them.
  Yet my fellow Louisville resident proudly took the floor of the 
United States Senate this weekend and bragged that he was ignoring his 
constituents, half of them at least. He denied them as though a desire 
for reform is some sort of a preexisting condition that entitles him to 
abdicate his responsibilities to us.
  Senator, you don't have to take my word for it, and I won't ask you 
to go searching through all of your old mail. If you're listening, I'd 
like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a few of your 
constituents and mine--yes, your fellow Kentuckians. Then maybe the 
next time you exert your considerable power to stop something that you 
know is of vital importance to many of your constituents, you will take 
time to consider their views as well.
  Elizabeth of Louisville wrote, ``I am a single mother with two 
children. I am offered health insurance through my employer, but due to 
the high cost of this insurance, I do not always have enough money to 
go to the doctor when I need to. Health insurance companies have had at 
least two decades to get it together and fix the system they have in 
place, but they have chosen not to. Please do not place the citizens of 
this country at the mercy of some of the wealthiest companies in this 
country.''
  Bobby of Okolona wrote, ``As a veteran and recently unemployed 
worker, I want to thank you for taking a stand on health care reform. I 
lost my job and insurance coverage in May of 2008. Do we need health 
care reform? You bet.''
  Mary of Louisville wrote, ``I am asking you to support health care 
reform. We need a public option plan. My brother is a 59-year-old 
diabetic, and is unable to get health care coverage. He is excluded 
from any plan.''
  Alvin of East End wrote, ``Please do not let health care reform fail. 
I am a Registered Nurse. I've worked as a case manager at a local 
hospital. I have seen private insurance deny patients acute rehab after 
a stroke; whereas, with Medicare, we could have seen them.''
  Elizabeth of the East End wrote, ``I am behind health care reform 100 
percent. I am worried about our young adult children and how they can 
afford it. I have a child who had cancer. I've told her she needs to 
have a job that provides health insurance when she graduates. The 
insurance companies need to provide for those who need it most, not 
just the ones who are healthy.''

                              {time}  0915

  Gregg of Louisville wrote, ``Today I received my annual premium 
increase. My new premium has increased 32 percent. This has followed 18 
to 25 percent increases in the last 3 years.''
  Andrea of Shively wrote, ``Please vote for the health care bill. I am 
a heart attack survivor, and I am praying that I can stay with my 
company to keep my insurance. I will never be able to leave this 
company now that I have a preexisting condition.''
  Sandra of Prospect wrote, ``I am totally behind President Obama's 
health care reform. I have insurance now, but was not allowed to have 
it for 4 years due to a preexisting condition. I lived in utter terror 
the entire time, fearing I would lose my house if I became sick.''
  Phyllis of the Highlands wrote, ``I think we need health care for 
more people. For years, I struggled as a single parent to pay for 
health insurance for my five children, and it frequently cost me more 
than 30 percent of my income--in addition to copays.''
  Christian of Crescent Hill wrote, ``I know what it is like not to 
have this basic human right, and I know how much better the quality of 
my life is now that I do not have to worry about it. I believe that it 
is shameful that we are the only developed country in the world without 
a public health system, and I would like to voice my support of the 
President's plan.
  Finally, Matthew G., a 10-year-old boy from Louisville wrote, ``My 
parents spend $50,000 per year for my

[[Page 29845]]

brother's autism, and I think it's a national crisis. It's just not 
fair, and this is a fair country, and everybody, no matter who they 
are, including my brother, Eric, should be treated equally.''
  Senator McConnell, these are your constituents, yours and mine, and 
they are Americans. They are deserving of your attention and not your 
scorn. Please come with me to Louisville, and I will introduce you to 
more of the people who support health care reform for America.

                          ____________________