Tom Perriello:Whether for or against health care reform, most people in the district asked me to fight for deficit reduction, a fair shake for rural doctors, and no federal funding for abortions. I helped to score major victories on all three fronts. Today’s vote on health care legislation came down to a simple choice for me: do we sit back and let premiums skyrocket for middle-class families and small businesses, and watch the cost of prescription drugs bankrupt seniors and the cost of health care bankrupt the federal government? Or do we take this step today to support middle-class families and small businesses by encouraging competition to bring down premiums?
The time to act is now, because Virginians deserve a competitive health care market. They deserve access to affordable health care, and they deserve better choices when purchasing insurance.
Our work on this bill is not over. As health care legislation advances through Congress, I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to push for better inter-state competition. But I am proud of the changes I fought for. After hearing from my constituents during over 100 hours of town hall meetings in August, and by continuing those conversations in the months since, I worked to include their ideas in the bill, pushing for legislation that now protect Medicare, ensure deficit neutrality, encourage wellness and preventive care, and protect small businesses.
We can–and should–have the best health care system in the world. I am proud to support this profound shift away from the status quo towards progress and better, cheaper health care for more Americans.
Jim MoranMr. Speaker, we are a great nation, a prosperous and compassionate one. But our health care system doesn't measure up to that greatness.
In fact we pay twice what every other industrialized nation pays for health care, and yet 71 nations have enabled their people to live longer and healthier lives.
The difference is that they have decided that the health of their people is a higher priority than the profit of their insurance companies.
Today we will have the opportunity to bring our health care system up to a standard deserving of the greatness of this nation. By controlling our costs, by covering all of our people and by improving the quality of the care that they receive, this bill is deserving of the greatness of our nation. It must pass today.
Gerry Connolly:In his floor speech Saturday morning announcing his support, Connolly called passage of health care reform a “transformative moment to make America a better place.”
He said the bill enshrines national principles that rise above legislative maneuvering and partisanship. The bill, Connolly said, embodies “the principle of universal access and affordability; the principle of protection for American families against bankruptcy from the cost of catastrophic illness; and the simple justice of shielding millions, including our children, from the caprice and devastation of health care benefits denied because of a pre-existing medical condition.”
Thank you to Representatives Perriello, Moran and Connolly for voting "yea" on this bill. It was the right thing to do - morally and politically.
Oh yeah, two Virginia Democrats - Rick Boucher and Glenn Nye - voted no. Boucher's statement is here and Nye's is here. Boucher's hopeless but I don't see anyone primarying him. Glenn Nye, on the other hand, needs to be primaried by a REAL Democrat. Joe Bouchard, PLEASE RUN!!!!
UPDATE: One more statement, not by a Virginia Democrat but by the nation's top Democrat - President Obama.
Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.
The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit.
Thanks to the hard work of the House, we are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America. Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.
