Addressing the Health Care Crisis

Floor Speech

Addressing the Health Care Crisis

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in addressing our health care crisis. The facts are clear: too many Americans lack access to quality, affordable health care.

Today, more than 47 million Americans, including 9 million children, lack health insurance. Last year, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults struggled to pay medical bills, went without needed care because of costs, or were uninsured. Nearly 9 million people have lost their health insurance since 2000. This is unacceptable. In fact, in the richest nation in the world, it's absolutely shameful.

Countless Americans lay awake at night trying to figure out how they will pay mounting medical bills, whether they should go to the doctor for that recurring pain, or wondering if their health insurance will actually cover tests their doctor recommended. With soaring gas and food prices, working families across the United States are forced to make tough financial choices, often sacrificing needed health care and health insurance.

It is reality for Laura T. whose son Christopher was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma in 2003. Though this family had insurance, the insurer refused to cover the treatments proven to help Christopher. No mother should ever have to fight with an insurance company for the life of her child, but that's exactly what this brave woman did. Laura fought these insurance companies and won. Because he received the appropriate treatments, Christopher is alive today. However, months of fighting for her child's life took a tremendous toll on her family. Laura and her three children lost their home. Her credit is ruined. Unfortunately, Laura and her family are not alone. Even more unfortunate is the fact that these families don't always win. Families across America are dealing with these situations every day.

While there are several issues that we disagree on, I am confident that we can all agree that no parent should have to fight for the medical treatment necessary for her child's survival. No family should have to forego needed health care because of money. Health care should not be a privilege to be reserved for the wealthy few. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together and fix our Nation's broken health care system.

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