Health Care Reform

Floor Speech

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to repealing health care reform. I am committed to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to create jobs and improve our Nation's economy. We need to focus on jobs right now, not repealing health care reform.

In fact, last year the private sector created some 1.1 million jobs. That is more private-sector job growth created in 2010 alone than during all of the Bush administration. Fully 200,000 of those jobs, or one out of every five, were in the health care industry.

In the Capital Region alone, repeal would strip benefits from some 439,000 individuals with health insurance and 113,000 seniors on Medicare. My constituents would lose guaranteed coverage for their preexisting conditions, coverage for young adults, lower drug prices for seniors, and free preventive care for people with insurance coverage and Medicare.

Madam Speaker, repealing health care reform to return to the old status quo, where insurance companies run amok and put profits over people, is irresponsible and reckless for our Nation and our economy.

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