The 30-Something Working Group: Health Care

Floor Speech

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Ms. BALDWIN. Well, I thank the gentleman.

I also want to appreciate my friend and colleague, Congressman Murphy, for bringing us together on this really critical issue.

You know, health care for all is the issue that brought me to politics in the first place, and it's certainly the issue that keeps me here. I join my colleagues tonight on the floor to affirm our fight that

we must complete comprehensive health care, meaningful and affordable comprehensive health care reform, this year. We can no longer afford to wait for health care reform.

There was a recent report from the very respected Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that projects, if Federal reform efforts are not completed, that within 10 years the cost of health care for businesses could double, that the number of uninsured Americans could reach 65.7 million and that middle income families would really be the hardest hit. They would bear the brunt of our inaction.

I represent a district in south central Wisconsin. Last month, I had the opportunity to gather and to meet with a number of stakeholders in my community. I got a chance to hear from diverse perspectives--from public and private urban and rural health providers, from patient advocates, from insurers, from businesses, and from labor. I always find it extremely helpful to hear divergent viewpoints and to get new suggestions as we prepare to write this bold, new legislation.

No matter what their particular perspectives in this debate are, their main message was very clear, that the system is broken and that we have to fix it. Some would argue that we really don't even have a system intact anymore.

I want to share just three quick stories from constituents, from Wisconsinites, that really symbolize what is broken in our health care system, that being the unaffordability of individual markets, the insurance discrimination based on preexisting conditions, and the struggles of small businesses. I really think it's important that we, as Americans and as Members of Congress, hear these stories. Our constituents, using their own words and telling their powerful and compelling stories, make the best case for health care for all and for the actions that we must take. So I'm just going to share with you excerpts of three letters that I've received.

One is from Jean from Rio, Wisconsin. Jean writes, ``My husband, Steve, has worked hard his whole life, but as of last year, he has not been able to find work because of the downturn in the economy. Neither of the jobs that I have held have offered me health insurance. We have relied on insurance that we purchased in the individual market, which costs nearly $10,000 a year and has a $5,000 deductible, meaning that we pay out of pocket for basic doctor visits, screenings and prescriptions.

``Twenty years ago,'' Jean writes, ``Steve became very ill, and in the intervening years has developed multiple brain tumors that require extensive treatment and care. We eventually realized that he has recurring tumors due to a neurological disease and should be screened on an annual basis. Unfortunately, insurance does not cover these $13,000 procedures, and we cannot afford to pay that on an annual basis. We can only hope and pray that more tumors are not developing. It is just so infuriating that, in this wonderful country, we cannot get wonderful medical care.''

Lorraine from Port Washington, Wisconsin, writes, ``When my husband filled out an insurance application in July of 2002, he was asked if he had ever been diagnosed or treated for cancer in the past 5 years. He replied, `No.' He had never been diagnosed with cancer nor operated on nor treated for cancer. What he did have was basal cells--small carcinomas--which are never malignant and have to be removed from most blue-eyed blonds in the course of getting older.

``When my husband was diagnosed with bone marrow failure disease, the insurance company denied any coverage for his medical care, citing a preexisting condition. We were left with over $125,000 in medical bills. My husband has now passed away, and I am just thankful that I am not in complete financial ruin.''

Sally, from Madison, Wisconsin, writes me to say, ``I've had my own law office for 29 years. I employ two full-time employees and one part-time employee. I provide health care benefits for our small firm, but I have faced an annual increase in premiums of 12 percent, forcing me to pass on higher cost-sharing to these three employees. One employee has diabetes and also extends coverage to her husband, who is a dairy farmer without health insurance coverage. Because of their high medical costs, it would have been very difficult for me to find new health insurance without facing even higher rates. Health insurance is becoming steadily less inclusive and more difficult to keep--and it's no wonder that, in today's economy, families count health care costs as one of their top pocketbook issues.''

Madam Speaker and colleagues, these stories illustrate why affordable, quality health care for all is so important and is so necessary. Universal coverage is both a moral and an economic imperative if we are to succeed in the 21st century. For the first time, I firmly believe that health care for all is within our grasp. We must act now.

Again, I want to thank my colleagues, my friend Congressman Murphy and my friend Congressman Altmire, for taking this fight up and for bringing us together to address this important issue.

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