Senate Proceeding on May 1st, 2009 :: 1:59:45 to 2:06:30
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1:59:39 to 1:59:59( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: service association and the department of state honor foreign service personnel who have lost their serving our nation overseas in the line of duty or under hoic or other inspirational circumstances. this year's memorial plaque ceremony honors the life and

1:59:45 to 2:06:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sherrod Brown

2:00:00 to 2:00:20( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: service of brian atkins from whitehall ohio. avenues foreign service officer who died on january 31, 2009, while serving us in edge open yavment in ethiopia. brian who would have turned 26 three months ago joined the state department in 2007 after

2:00:21 to 2:00:43( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: receiving multiple degrees from george washington university. brian was his intelligence and his hreupbg quiz particulars skill in -- linguistics skill in seven languages. he was assigned to ethiopia in the summer of 2008, immersing himself in the culture and language of the region, brian

2:00:44 to 2:01:06( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: dedicated his time to greater understanding of the values in the region. outside of his service, brian entertained his family, friends and coworkers as violinist and cook. he was a devoted catholic who spent much of his free time volunteering and helping those and giving to those in need. it is with great pride that we honor brian adkins and his

2:01:07 to 2:01:27( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: family, thanking him contributions, thanking them for the way they we've lost a talented and committed civil servant whose exceptional life serves to remind us of the importance and the meaning of public service in the best sense of the term. thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent to place th

2:01:28 to 2:01:51( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: part of the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. for the first time in a long time there's clear and widespread consensus that to improve the health of americans and the strength of our nation, we must act quickly and responsibly to reform a health care system that has failed far the millions of uninsured - 45

2:01:52 to 2:02:12( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: million or so -- and the tens of millions more underinsured americans and the thousands of businesses struggling to compete globally with rising alth insurance costs expect us to find a path forward. with our nation spending in excess of $2 trillion annually on health care, with too many of our citizens only a hospital

2:02:13 to 2:02:35( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: visit and a pink slip away from financial disaster, we can't afford to squander this opportunity. and we can't settle for simply marginal improvements. instead, we must fight here in this chamber for substantial reforms that will improve our health care system. that's why, mr. president, this week 15 of my colleagues and i sent a letter to chairman

2:02:36 to 2:02:58( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: kennedy, chairman of the "help" committee and chairman baucus, chairman of the finance committe giving americans a health insurance option not controlled by the health insurance industry. we must preserve access to employer-sponsored coverage for those who want to keep their current plan, but that's not enough. we want to preserve access for

2:02:59 to 2:03:19( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: those their own employer-sponsored plan, if they want, they decide to stay in that plan. give the americans the choice to go outside of that with a private or public health insurance plan is good policy and good common sense. at a time when too many americans are struggling to pay health care costs, a public plan

2:03:20 to 2:03:41( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: option -- it's only an option -- will make health insurance more affordable. a report released by the consumers union found 30% of the underinsured have out-of-pocket costs of $3,000 or more for a single year. a health affairs study similarly found one-quarter of underinsured people have dectibles of $1,000 or more.

2:03:42 to 2:04:02( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: it is estimated half of all personal bankruptcies are ka used at least in part -- caused at least in part by unpaid medical costs. a plan would limit out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and would not abandon paoefplt at a time when too many of our rural citizens are struggling to find quality affordable health

2:04:03 to 2:04:24( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: insurance, a public plan option will insure access in rural and underserved areas. too often rural communities are largely ignored by insurance market that targets the much more profitable large metropolitan areas with more consumer private plans too often neglect sparsely populated and rural areas, but instead a public p

2:04:25 to 2:04:46( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: would be consistently available in all markets, ensuring that our rural areas and our rural people are not left stranded. at a time when too many americans are losing their jobs and, therefore, losing their employer-sponsored health insurance, a public plan option will ensure portability and ensure continuity of coverage. a public plan would ensure that

2:04:47 to 2:05:07( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: those facing employment changes -- loss of job, downsizing, plant closing, moving out of the country, whatever -- that those fac employment changes, those people would have the choice to have a quality, affdable coverage backed by the strength and the reliability of the federal government. a public plan, therefore, would

2:05:08 to 2:05:31( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: not disappear when americans lose their jobs or when a marriage ends or when a dependent becomes an adult. at a time when too many americans simply do not have stable, reliable, adequate, affordable health insurance, a public plan option is vital to ensuring the consumers have another americans should have the voice of a public health insurance plan which would work to close

2:05:32 to 2:05:53( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: the gaps in our patchwork health coverage system. there are many ways to design a public plan option for uninsured americans and for underinsured americans. i stand ready to work with chairman baucus and chairman kennedy. i stand ready to work with house and senate best to design this public plan option as part of our overall health reform efforts.

2:05:54 to 2:06:16( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: health reform must include checks and private insurance and a public insurance option for the americans we serve. thank you, mr. president th