[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5220-5221]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on behalf 
of the millions of Americans who know our Nation is desperately in need 
of health care reform. Traveling across Colorado this past year, a 
common theme surfaced as I spoke with families, health care providers, 
and businesses alike. They all want a health care system that tackles 
costs, improves quality, and puts their needs first.
  I have heard, as I know the Presiding Officer has in his home State 
of Delaware, stories of Coloradans who paid a lifetime of health care 
premiums in order to provide for their families, all to have an 
insurance company drop their coverage because a wife or a husband or a 
child became ill.
  Visiting with health care providers, I heard about the waste and 
abuse in our system. They have all pleaded with me to have commonsense 
reforms that get them back to the business they thought they were 
entering years ago--the business of caring for their fellow Americans 
beset by illness and disease.
  I heard from small business owners who continue to see double-digit 
increases in insurance costs, in many cases for the ninth or the tenth 
or even more years in a row. These small business owners want to see 
relief, not for themselves but because they do not want to have to 
choose between laying off workers and leaving their workers vulnerable 
to medical bankruptcies.
  Decade after decade, we see how the fine print of insurance company 
policies puts shareholder interests above those of American families 
and how partisanship has prevented the kind of progress everyone agrees 
is sorely needed.
  I have good news. Despite all the ugly rhetoric, distortions, and 
misrepresentations we have heard, Coloradans and the rest of the 
country can finally rest assured that someone has put their interests 
first.
  This week, I watched as President Obama signed into law the kind of 
reforms that will free Americans from the shackles of never-ending cost 
increases, dropped coverage, and unfair practices that put profits 
above the provision of care.

[[Page 5221]]

  Throughout this past fall and winter, I joined you, Mr. President, 
and the rest of our freshman class in the Chamber repeatedly to talk 
about the urgent need for health care reform. We shot down false 
claims, challenged the phony reasoning that was out there, and pointed 
out where the rhetoric ends and reality begins.
  Over the past few days, many more of our colleagues from this side of 
the aisle have compellingly and eloquently explained how important the 
new health reform law is to both the American people and the American 
economy. The fact is that this historic bill signed by the President 
saves lives, saves money, and it saves Medicare.
  Bringing this long debate to a close, I wish to speak directly to the 
people of Colorado. It is important that they know how these health 
insurance reforms will benefit their families and the rest of our great 
State.
  As a result of the President signing the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act into law, the parents of Colorado's 1.2 million 
children can sleep easy starting this year knowing that insurance 
companies no longer have the right to deny their kids health care 
coverage because of a preexisting condition.
  Also starting in 2010, almost half a million, 500,000 young adults in 
Colorado who would otherwise be kicked off their parents' health care 
policies can maintain that coverage through to their 27th birthday. 
This is particularly welcome to me, as I know it is for many 
Coloradans, because I have two college-age kids who fit into the 
category I just described.
  We have 575,000 seniors in our Medicare Program, and for every single 
one of them, this new law will protect--I want to emphasize that--will 
protect their guaranteed benefits and immediately allow them to get 
preventive care with absolutely no copay or out-of-pocket costs. This 
added benefit, contrary to what we have heard, will increase their 
health care coverage under the Medicare Program so that our seniors can 
continue to live happy and healthy lives.
  This new law goes to great lengths to help slow the growth of health 
care costs and, by doing so, it is projected that these lower costs 
will allow Colorado's employers to hire up to 6,500 new employees in 
our State. And for as many as 68,000 small businesses, health reform 
will begin providing millions of dollars in tax credits so they can 
afford to offer health insurance to their employees.
  Yesterday, we sat here and cast 56 votes as Democrats to make final 
improvements to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. That 
reconciliation measure we passed yesterday will provide prescription 
drug relief as well for our Colorado seniors. More than 100,000 
Colorado seniors, such as my friend Frank Blakely in Colorado Springs, 
will pay less for prescription drugs.
  Right now, these seniors hit what we all know here as the Medicare 
part D doughnut hole, which means they have to pay thousands of dollars 
directly out of pocket for their medicines. But beginning this year, 
every one of these seniors will receive a $250 check to help them 
offset those costs, and we will begin to close the overall gap in 
Medicare coverage so that we completely fill this doughnut hole by the 
year 2020. I know this will be welcome relief to those on fixed incomes 
all across the United States, because it will free up scarce retirement 
dollars to visit family members, help pay a grandchild's college 
tuition or even to help, in some cases, put food on the table.
  I think one of the overriding features of health reform is the 
freedom it will give to Coloradans and hard-working Americans--the 
freedom to change jobs, to launch a business, to even start a family 
while knowing that health care coverage will be there for them when 
they need it. Americans need to know their country won't leave them to 
fend for themselves when an insurance company denies or drops their 
coverage. They deserve peace of mind to know that someone is on their 
side.
  Over the last few days we have heard a lot of the same misleading 
rhetoric that we did back in August by those who were dead set on 
levying accusations rather than working on real reform. Well, health 
reform has become the law of the land and the American people don't 
have to wait any longer for these important reforms. The legislation we 
passed will establish a sturdy foundation upon which we will build, 
improve, and strengthen access to health care in America. Will there be 
mistakes made along the way? I don't doubt it.
  I am a lifelong mountain climber, and I know from experience that any 
difficult climb includes storms, and you make a mistake finding your 
route along the way. But what matters is that you dust yourself off and 
you move forward. I think there have been a lot of storms on this 
journey so far, and it hasn't been perfectly smooth. But it has been in 
the right direction. Despite our stumbles and twists and turns along 
the way, we kept our eye on the summit in front of us, where providing 
quality affordable coverage for every American is a reality.
  Every successful expedition, in my experience, has a leader, and I 
want to take a moment to recognize our leader, Senate Majority Leader 
Reid. He has literally had the health and well-being of millions of 
Americans on his shoulders--some would say the weight of the world. 
That is a heavy backpack. But at the same time he has shouldered that 
load, been an unwavering advocate for reform, and he has exemplified 
the American resiliency which has helped make our Nation the greatest 
Nation on Earth.
  I would also like to thank my staff, especially Jake Swanton and John 
Rayburn, who have worked tirelessly to fight for Colorado and make 
quality affordable health coverage a reality for millions of Americans.
  As I close, I want to say how proud I am that the health care bills 
we passed this week will modernize our health care delivery system, 
increase much-needed choice and competition within the health insurance 
industry, and help put our economy back on track, while clearly 
improving the financial security of middle-class working families.
  This has been an historic week for Colorado and for the American 
people. The victory, of course, isn't for the Senate or the House, or 
the President, or for our political parties, it is for the American 
people. I have certainly been humbled to have been given the 
opportunity to serve my great State during this unforgettable, long, 
and sustained debate, and I look forward to the important climbs that 
still await us as we implement this very important piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Udall of Colorado). Without objection, it 
is so ordered.

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