Why I voted yes on health care: The package is a real lifesaver

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, has represented the 8th Congressional District, covering parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, since 1992.

Madame speaker, I rise in support of the health-in surance reform package before us because, despite gross inadequacies, it deals with three basic problems.

We know that 45,000 Americans a year die because they lack health insurance. By extending health insurance to 32 million Americans, most of these lives will be saved.

Truly, a vote for this bill is a vote to save 45,000 lives a year. A no vote for this bill is a vote to acquiesce in these deaths.

We know that 55 percent of all personal bankruptcies are caused by health-care emergencies and that 75 percent of people who file for bankruptcy because of a health crisis had health insurance — insurance that proves inadequate when they get an expensive illness.

By banning the “pre-existing conditions” insurance bar and annual and lifetime caps, and by capping out-of-pocket expenses in new plans at $6,200 per year for an individual and $12,300 for a family, with even lower caps for low-income families, this bill will ensure that nobody goes broke because they get sick.

Madame Speaker, I have spent much of my adult life fighting for universal health coverage. Today’s vote doesn’t end that fight. But we simply can’t lose sight of how historic this moment is.

That’s why I am proud to cast my vote in favor of the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, a bill that will have immeasurable benefits for the American people for years to come.

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