[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1586-1587]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HEALTH CARE RELIEF IS NEEDED

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor 
issued its updated numbers regarding inflation, and what it showed was 
some good news: that in fact prices were flat; they fell 0.1 percent. 
Producer prices the day before was reported only went up 1.2 percent.
  But not every sector of the U.S. economy is so lucky. If you are a 
self-employed individual, if you are a small business, the Department 
of Health and Human Services issued another report that showed that 
health insurance premium costs are going up at a frightening rate: in 
the State of Connecticut, where I come from, a 21 percent increase; in 
California, 35 percent.
  Across the country we are still seeing a broken health insurance 
marketplace that lands the hardest on the self-employed and the 
individuals who are trying to go out and get coverage for themselves 
and their families.

[[Page 1587]]

  We need reform which will spread coverage, create large purchasing 
pools, and give Americans the same benefit that every Member of 
Congress has who participates in the Federal employee health plan.
  This Thursday we have a summit where both parties need to come 
together and give people the same relief that Members of Congress 
receive every day through their health insurance plan.

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