[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5027]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THE AMERICAN DREAM

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, you know, I hear from the other side about 
the American Dream, but I want to say, the American Dream doesn't mean 
that the government shouldn't get involved to end discrimination.
  We have a long history in this country of the government getting 
involved to end discrimination. And that's a big part of this health 
care reform, because right now, people who have preexisting conditions 
cannot get health insurance, or, if they can, they have to pay 
prohibitive costs which are not acceptable and make it impossible for 
them to get health insurance.
  What we're doing in this health care reform bill is ending 
discrimination, so that if you have a preexisting condition, if you've 
had cancer, you can still get health insurance.
  Immediately after this bill becomes law--and it actually has become 
law; the President signed it--children cannot be excluded from policies 
because of preexisting conditions. And gradually that will occur for 
every American, that they cannot be discriminated against.
  People are discriminated against now. Women are charged more than 
men. That's not right. That's not part of the American Dream. We are 
ending discrimination with this legislation, and I was so proud to see 
the President sign it on Tuesday.

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