Major Step Forward For Health Care Reform

Floor Speech

Major Step Forward For Health Care Reform

(Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, health care reform in the Congress took a major step forward today with the announcement of the Senate Finance Committee proposal.

There may be differences between that proposal and the bills that we have passed in the House, but the bottom line is that we are moving forward in trying to pass crucial health care reform.

If you look at the Senate Finance proposal, it basically has the health exchange in an effort to provide choice and competition and provide affordability for those Americans who either do not have health insurance now or are afraid that they may lose their health insurance because their costs continue to go up.

The Kaiser Foundation came out yesterday with an analysis that showed that more and more employers now are passing off the cost of health insurance to their employees, either through higher costs that they have to pay or cost-sharing or deductibles or co-pays, so something has to be done. It's not just a question of those who are uninsured; it's also a question of those who have health insurance now who may lose it because their employer will not provide it or their costs continue to climb.

We need to move forward, and we are taking a major step today.

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