Affordable Health Care For America Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding, for his kind remarks and for his tremendous leadership on bringing this legislation to the floor. Thank you, Congressman ROB ANDREWS.

Madam Speaker, today as we all know is an historic moment for our Nation and for America's families. For nearly a century, leaders of every party and political philosophy have, as far back as Teddy Roosevelt, called for health care for the American people.

For generations, the American people have called for affordable, quality health care for their families. Today, the call will be answered. Today, we will pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

This legislation is founded on key principles for a healthier America: innovation, competition and prevention. It improves quality, lowers cost, expands coverage to 36 million more people, and retains choices.

Our innovation began in the recovery package in January with $19 billion for health IT, the first step in lowering cost and improving quality, and $8 billion in investments for biomedical research. This legislation will mean affordability for the middle class, security for our seniors and honors our responsibility to our children, adding not one dime to the deficit.

For all Americans, this legislation makes a big difference: no discrimination for preexisting medical conditions; no dropped coverage if you are sick; no copays for preventive care. There is a cap on what you pay in, but there is no cap on the benefit that you receive.

It works for seniors, closing the doughnut hole, offering better primary care and strengthening Medicare for years to come. It works for women, preventing insurance companies from charging women more than men for the same coverage. No longer will being a woman be a preexisting medical condition.

It works for young people, offers affordable choices and copays for preventive care to stop problems before they start, and allows young people to stay on their parents' insurance until their 27th birthday. It works for small business owners, providing access to affordable group rates and creating a tax credit to help them insure their employees. It works for consumers, keeping insurance companies honest and encouraging competition with a public option.

This legislation puts you and your doctor in charge. No longer will the insurance companies come between you and your doctor.

President Obama has said that health care reform is entitlement reform, and this legislation proves that point. It is fiscally sound, it is paid for, and it reduces the deficit by tens of billions of dollars over the next 10 years.

This legislation is the result of extensive deliberation here in the Congress, where we have held more than 100 hearings and is the product of extensive input from the American people. Members of Congress have held over 3,000 town meetings. It has resulted in a better bill than H.R. 3200. However good or excellent that was, this bill is a better one with significant differences, and my colleagues have pointed them out, as did Congresswoman DINA TITUS, who just spoke before me at the podium.

We are brought to this historic moment in our Nation for our families because of the work of our chairmen: Chairman HENRY WAXMAN of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman CHARLIE RANGEL of the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman GEORGE MILLER of the Education and Labor Committee, and Chairwoman LOUISE SLAUGHTER of the Rules Committee. I thank all of those committees, including the Rules Committee, for being in so late so that we could have this legislation on the floor today and for their ongoing service to the Congress.

More than 300 groups representing tens of millions of Americans have expressed their support for the bill: the AARP, American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association; the list of medical groups goes on and on. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association. And I am particularly proud the Consumers Union has endorsed the legislation. My colleagues, this morning we were part of history, and we are this evening as well.

But a particularly poignant moment occurred when Chairman DINGELL took the Chair to preside over the debate, the beginning of the debate for health care. When he was a young man as a Member of Congress, he gaveled Medicare into law. It had been, as one of our colleagues said, in his DNA, this pursuit of health care for all Americans. His father had introduced the bill over and over again when he was in Congress and, as his successor, he continued that great legacy. Today he will see a lifelong dream of generations in his family come true as we begin the process of making this a reality.

It's impossible to talk about health care reform in America without talking about Senator Edward Kennedy. His leadership and his contribution to this debate is boundless. Health insurance reform was the cause of his life. He called it ``the great unfinished business of our society.'' On this issue he said what is at stake ``is the character of our country.'' When the President came to address the joint session, he quoted those comments by Senator Kennedy from a letter that the Senator had sent to him. What the Senator also said in the letter that was sent to President Obama before he died was this:

``I entered public life with a young President who inspired a generation and the world. It gives me great hope that as I leave, another young President inspires another generation and, once more on America's behalf, inspires the entire world.''

He acknowledged President Obama's ``unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity.''

President Obama's leadership gives our Nation hope. Today, with this legislation, we will give them health. President Obama has said, ``We will measure our success in the progress that is made by America's working families.''

Today, with the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, we will make history. We will also make progress for America's working families.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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