Health Care

Floor Speech

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I respect a great deal my colleague from Kentucky who is on the Energy and Commerce Committee, but I heard him mostly talk about what he opposes.

That's the problem with the Republican mantra on health care reform. They are opposed to so many things, but we really don't know what they are supportive of. The fact of the matter is from the very beginning we tried to include both sides of the aisle on this health care reform, but essentially what we heard from the Republican side was they didn't like this, they didn't like that, and, ultimately, they didn't like anything.

Now we are forced, I suppose, to bring a bill to the floor which probably will get mostly or maybe only Democratic support, but it will cover everyone. It will provide that universal health care that has been so lacking with so many people now who can't find health insurance or find it increasingly unaffordable. The public option is a very important part of that, because basically it will create competition and bring down costs for the average American.

We are moving forward now. We would like to have bipartisan support. But if we don't, we are still moving forward, because we know that the promise of health care for every American is really crucial.

Source