[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 367]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE UNINSURED OF TEXAS

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have listened for a couple 
of hours to the debate on health care and will have additional hours 
going forward tomorrow.
  I think it is important that each Member look carefully at their own 
congressional area and as well their own State. I hope maybe I will be 
able to convince a few Members of the reality of the State of Texas. 
And by the way, I don't know how far this legislation will go. We 
expect a victory on the repeal tomorrow. I don't want Americans to be 
frightened who need this bill.
  Mr. President, be prepared to use your veto pen.
  But Texas is the number one State with uninsured. Health care 
premiums have grown five times faster than income, and 500,000 middle 
class workers have lost their private insurance. In Harris County, 
where many of us live, more than 800,000 will be put on the health care 
rolls if this bill continues to go forward, meaning the Patient 
Protection bill. But if the repeal goes, we'll throw 800,000 people to 
the wolves.
  There is a reason to support this bill, particularly in Texas, which 
has an enormous number of uninsured.

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