Health Care Reform

Floor Speech

HEALTH CARE REFORM -- (Senate - October 15, 2009)

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I thank very much Senator Bennet for coordinating this effort today.

As you have all heard for the past few weeks, the freshmen Senators have joined together to deliver a very simple message: We need to act, and we need to act now, on health care reform.

As people have been pointing out all morning, there is a lot of confusing and, unfortunately, some false information that has been going around about who is going to be included in health care reform legislation and what that is going to mean for people. So as everyone has said, we are joining together today to try to dispel some of those myths and to focus on what really matters, which is making our health care system better for our families, for our businesses, and for our Nation's economy.

One common myth we have heard is that health reform is a government takeover of our health care system. This is simply not true. The truth is, health care reform is being driven by consumers who are concerned about the cost of health care and about their coverage, and it is being driven by the market because health care costs are so high that too many businesses and too many people cannot get the health care they need when they need it.

Under the current legislation, everyone will have the freedom to keep their health care plan if they like it. But for the millions of hard-working Americans who cannot find affordable coverage or who have been discriminated against because of a preexisting condition or for women like me who too often are discriminated against in the costs of health care, health reform will give them a choice.

Last week, my office heard from a man named Andrew from New Boston, NH. Sadly, his story is all too common. Andrew and his family had employer-sponsored insurance coverage through his wife's job. Unfortunately, she was laid off recently. Now not only is she out of work, but her family has to find another source of health insurance coverage. The fact is, the individual market simply does not provide sufficient affordable options for families. The coverage they managed to find--Andrew and his family--puts a significant financial burden on their family.

The good news is, health reform legislation offers a solution for families such as Andrew's by offering more choice. The health insurance exchange creates a marketplace where insurance companies must compete for our business. Individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for the most affordable plans in a way that is transparent and easy to understand--similar to the way Members of Congress get their insurance, and Americans should have the same choice.

Increased competition and transparency do not sound like a government takeover to me. Rather, it sounds like the markets acting in a way that best serves the American people.

My health reform reality check is that health care reform is consumer based and market driven. You can keep your insurance if you like it. It will increase choices for families. It will promote competition.

We need to move past the rhetoric and the myths. We need to rise to the occasion in this pivotal moment in our Nation's history. We must pass meaningful health reform for the citizens of New Hampshire and all Americans.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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