[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3664-3665]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, Congress is on the brink of 
passing comprehensive health care reform to ensure that all Americans 
have access to affordable and high quality care, health care that 
protects consumers and not just insurance companies. We need reform to 
rein in these companies and to hold them accountable for discriminatory 
and inhumane practices, policies like gender rating that force women to 
pay higher premiums than men just because we are women, and denials for 
preexisting conditions that can even include a history of domestic 
violence.
  We need reform to change the practice of insurance companies denying 
children with preexisting conditions or dropping someone's coverage if 
that person falls ill. We can't put it off. We can't wait. If we do 
nothing, in 30 years, one out of every $3 will be spent

[[Page 3665]]

on health care. If we fail, families will see spending on premiums and 
out-of-pocket costs jump 34 percent in 5 years and 79 percent in 10.
  The American people not only want reform, they need reform. They are 
asking for reform. We made a promise to the American people to pass 
health care reform. It's time to keep our promise. It's time to get 
this done, and it's time to pass health care reform.

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