Date: 2011-01-07
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I was there when the President of the United States of America signed into law the health care act that is sought to be repealed. I was within 20 feet or so of the President. and at the time he signed it. there was a feeling of great jubilation. but also there was a feeling of great consternation because. as he signed it. in ink. I knew that it was written in tears. written in the tears of the many parents who saw their children with preexisting conditions and could not get insurance for the illness that their children had. signed in ink. written in tears. but it was also written in sweat. the sweat of the many persons who toiled for more than 50 years to get health care for all Americans. signed in ink. written in sweat. tears and in blood. written in the blood of the millions of people who suffered because they couldnt get health care. and also of the many who died because they could not get the insurance that would afford them health care. I was there. I knew what the circumstances were. At the time the bill was signed. we were spending $2.5 trillion per year on health care. $2.5 trillion is $79.000 a second on health care. That was approximately 17.6 percent of our GDP. And by 2018 it would have become $4.4 trillion per year. which would have been more than 20 percent of GDP and $139.000 a second. Signed in ink. written in blood. sweat and tears. I knew where we were at the time it was signed. In my State. we had 6 million uninsured. 1.1 million in Harris County. and 20 percent of the children in Texas uninsured when that bill was signed. Still in America we have millions that are not getting the proper attention that they need. but there is the potential to get it because of this bill. At the time it was signed. we had more than 40 million people uninsured. The bill covered some 30plus million people. We had 21 million people who were working fulltime and did not have insurance. 45.000 people per year were dying because they didnt have insurance. Thats one person every 12 minutes. Twentyone million people were working fulltime and did not have insurance. That bill brought people under the umbrella of health care and health insurance. The greatness of America is not going to be measured by how many great buildings we build and how many people we can cut out of health care. Its not going to be measured by the people that we can put in the streets of life. The greatness of America will be measured by how we treat people in the streets of life. This bill addresses people in the streets of life. real people who can die because they dont get the health care that the richest country in the world can provide. I respect those who vote however they choose. But as for me. I am going to stand with those people who need health care and who are going to get it under this bill because preexisting conditions no longer exist. And for edification purposes. for those who do not know. pregnancy was a preexisting condition at the time the bill was signed. For those who do not know. children under the age of 26. many of them required to get health care because they couldnt stay on their parents policies. they can now stay with their parents. The doughnut hole for seniors is being closed with this bill. The doughnut hole. for edification purposes. is that point in time when a senior has to pay for all of the pharmaceuticals that a senior might receive and need. And these pharmaceuticals are expensive. This bill addresses these things. This bill is a lifeline for many persons in this country. I will support it and I will say more about it in the future. I stand with the American people who need health care.