[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16358]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTH INSURANCE HIKES

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. I'm outraged by the blatant lies being told by some 
health insurance companies. I have a renewal statement here for a small 
business with a 28 percent increase, allegedly all because of health 
insurance reform.
  How do we know it's a lie? Because the rate hike was requested before 
health reform passed. Health insurance rates were increasing at an 
astounding rate before health reform. That is why we passed the law, 
because consumers were paying more and getting less.
  Their business model is dying, and health reform has nothing to do 
with it.
  Hello. Without new exchanges, new tax credits for small businesses 
and subsidies for families, your industry is in a death spiral because 
people can't afford to buy your product.
  The recent shocking rate increases are exactly why we need to 
implement health reform as soon as possible. We can't afford to slow 
down, let alone turn back. If insurance companies were honest, they 
would admit they can't afford it either.

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