Health Care Reform

Floor Speech

HEALTH CARE REFORM -- (Senate - October 08, 2009)

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, Senator Mikulski, and all of the women who are out on the floor today to talk about this critical issue because the rising cost of health insurance is hurting women and it is hurting our country.

For the millions of women across this country who open the mail each month to see their premiums rising dramatically, who cannot get preventive care, such as mammograms, because the copays are too much or they work part time or for a small business that does not provide insurance for them and their families, who cannot get covered for prenatal care or who are forced to stay in an abusive relationship because if they leave, their sick kids will lose their health care coverage, we are their voice.

I remember a similar debate such as this on this floor almost 16 years ago. Senators in this Chamber were debating legislation that would allow 35 million Americans to stay home to take care of a newborn or sick child, a parent or spouse, without fear of losing their jobs. I came to the floor then and I told the story about a woman I knew whose child was sick at the time and who was not allowed to take time off from work to care for him as he was dying because she would lose her income and the health insurance that covered him.

At the time, as a new Member of the Senate, I spoke passionately about that. I told the story. As I was walking off the floor, one of our colleagues came up to me and said: You know, here in the Senate, we don't tell personal stories. I remember well what I said to him: I came here to tell the stories of the people I represent. They deserve a voice in the Senate.

Those stories impacted that debate, and we passed the family and medical leave law.

I am back today to tell the story of a woman whose child was sick. I want to tell every one about the story of this little boy, Marcelas Owens. I met him at a health care rally in Seattle. He was 10 years old and his two sisters who we see in this picture as well have been through a lot. Two years ago their mother Tifanny, who is not in this picture--that is his grandmother--lost her life because she was uninsured, 27 years old.

How did that happen? Tifanny was a single mom who felt strongly about working to support her family. She worked as an assistant manager at a fast food restaurant. She had health care coverage for her family. But in September of 2006, she got sick and missed some work. Her employer gave her an ultimatum: Make up the lost time or lose your job. Because she was so sick, she physically could not make up the time, and she did lose her job.

When she lost her job, she lost her health insurance. Without the coverage and care she needed, in June of 2007, Tifanny lost her life, and Marcelas and his sisters lost their mom.

Our health care system is broken. It is broken for moms such as Tifanny who work to provide for their families and do the right thing, and for men who lose their health care in this market we have today. It is broken for women we have heard about who have been denied coverage or charged more for preexisting conditions such as pregnancy or C sections or, tragically, domestic violence. It is broken for their families and for little boys such as Marcelas who will never get back what he lost.

Enough is enough. The time is now. The status quo that is being defended by the other side is not working. For women across this country, for their families, for our businesses, for our Nation's future strength that as mothers we care about so much, we have to get this right. We have to remember these stories. We need to be their voice. That is why we are here today and why we are going to keep fighting to make sure that we reform the health care insurance system in this country finally and do it right.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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