30-Something Working Group
Floor Speech
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Mr. LUJÁN. I thank my friend as well.
I will tell you and my colleagues here on the floor that, as I was sitting in the office, watching the discussion that was taking place, I felt compelled to come down because, in my office, we were looking at some of the letters that have been sent to my office. I'll tell you there is story after story, whether it's in writing or by e-mail or by phone or in person, as we talk to our friends in the district, of the concerns that we have of those who have insurance but who say when that bill comes in and when they see that denial on there, Well, I was paying into the system. I was working hard, I was paying my bills. I thought I had coverage. I went to go see the doctor because I was sick. Then they get the rejection letter and denial after denial.
There is something that's not being talked a lot about today. Some of those who are opposed to health care reform, to the public option and to the legislation that we're working on aren't talking about some of the protections that are in this legislation, even to those who have coverage today. As we've been talking about this and as we've been advocating for a strong public option to give competition and to provide choice for our patients out there for those who are so in need of good care today, the other element of this is, if they like the coverage they have, they can keep it.
One of the problems that exists therein, though, is how insurance companies are denying these claims one after another. This whole idea and this notion that government is going to get in the way of people being able to make decisions about their health care with their physicians couldn't be more wrong. The problem that exists today is that the bureaucrats who are in place today within some of the insurance companies and who review these claims one at a time are not your physicians. They get this submittal from a doctor, and they ask, Well, should we provide coverage or not? Then they reject that letter.
You know, before I came to Congress, I was part of a commission that had the State superintendent of insurance under it. It was where the State regulatory reform took place. We had the responsibility of having to work with patients to look at some of those denials. I'll just share one little story with you.
There was one young lady whom I ran into who asked, Ben, don't you do something with insurance? I explained to her, yes, I did. What was going on? Well, she and her husband were trying to have a baby, and they were not having much luck. They had a 1-year-old son, but they weren't having much luck. So she went to see the doctor, and the doctor diagnosed her, and said, Well, there may be something wrong here.
Well, it turns out what they diagnosed her with was related to something that wasn't included in her coverage. They were trying to say, Well, we diagnosed you with this illness about 2 years ago, but now that they were trying to have a son, to grow their family and to live the American dream in their home that they had just purchased, the insurance company said, Well, we're not going to cover this. As a matter of fact, you have to go back and pay 2 years of bills that we've been treating you for.
Well, the family was in dire need because, when they tried paying this bill, they were going to have to sell their home. They were going to be out on the street. There was no telling what was going to happen to them. Well, it turns out that the insurance company wrongfully denied this claim.
Now, how many more millions of people are out there who have coverage today who are getting those claims denied?
One of the strong elements of this piece of legislation is all of the consumer protections that are built in. It's important that we talk about those because, as we talk about building a strong public option and about providing protections, about extending coverage, and about lowering costs, it's important that those who have coverage today are going to get the protections they deserve. Those who are opposed to this legislation aren't talking about those protections.
It's important that we continue to advocate for them because people across this United States and across my district, I'll tell you, want coverage and need coverage, and they're crying out every day. It's about time that we start listening to them. That's why I had to come down here to my colleagues, to my good friends who are all down here visiting with the American people about the importance of this legislation that we're working on as we advocate for lower costs, for squeezing what we can out of the system to make sure that we're looking after the general welfare of the American people and to make sure that we're providing the consumer protections that Americans deserve.
So, with that, I yield back. It's an honor to be here with you, and we'll continue working day in and day out to make sure we're able to advocate for the well-being of the American people. Health care reform is what we need.
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