Senate Proceeding on May 4th, 2009 :: 2:34:50 to 2:42:15
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2:34:47 to 2:35:07( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: support that amendme. i thank the the floor. i suggest the absence of a i withhold. the presiding officer: thank you. the senato mr. brown: thank you, madam president. i applaud the work of chairman dodd in this issue, as so many

2:34:50 to 2:42:15( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sherrod Brown

2:35:08 to 2:35:29( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: others, fighting problems of credit card abuse, of the home foreclosure and thank him for his work. madam president, i -- tomorrow is national teachers' day granting us all an opportunity, an important opportunity to honor and thank some of the most dedicated public servants in our land, our teachers. their tireless dedication to the education of our children is the

2:35:30 to 2:35:50( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: greatest investment made in the future success of this country. it's no -- no more time is obvious than that th than today. i rise to express my gratitude to those who make a difference in the young lives every day. my mother passed away three months ago wand was a high school english teen. she grew up in georgia, taught in florida and ohio.

2:35:51 to 2:36:12( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: she stressed always the importance of an education but also impressed upon me and my two older brothers the importance of how we use that education. so many teachers across the country are like my mother. they impart knowledge while cultivate wisdom. they teach the facts while they encourage the imagination. most importantly, our teachers inspire us to achieve our greatest goals while providing

2:36:13 to 2:36:33( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: us with a foundation we need to do so. there are over in/owe who spend each day devoted to the education and enrichment of our children. there's not one senator who does in public service to a teacher who lit that path before us. let's take the time to rember that support for our teachers

2:36:34 to 2:36:55( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: today as the surest way to promote a better tomorrow. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that following statement -- that the ensuing words be placed in a different place in the record. officer sphe without objection. mr. brown: in the last two-plus year, i've held almost 150 round tables around my state.

2:36:56 to 2:37:16( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: and there's one thing i know for sure: health care reform must include health insurance reform. ohioans, as are north carolinians and people from connecticut, a tired of to get coverage and being rebuffed because they have a preexisting health condition. they're tired of premiums and deductibles and copays that keep

2:37:17 to 2:37:37( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: climbing upward. they're tired of fighting tooth and nail to get their claims paid. they're tired of wondering whether their insurer to see -- will see the specialist they need, to et go the medicine they need to have the operation they need. they're tired of health insurance which is supposed to ease uncertainty, breeding uncertainty instead.

2:37:38 to 2:37:58( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: if they l lose their insurance. if they get sick, they can't get insurance. if they submit a claim, it must be paid. it may be paid in a month, three months, six month. sometimes they fight and fight and fight and the claim is not paid at all. ohioans are tired of their insurer treating them like unwanted guests, rather than paying customers. to be meaningful, health care

2:37:59 to 2:38:19( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: reform must be responsive. and to be responsive, health care reform must address insurance affordability, insurance reliecialghts and insurance continuity and that requires, madam president, a two-part strategy. the first is to give ohioans and every american more options. they should be able to choose whether to keep the coverage

2:38:20 to 2:38:42( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: they have or purchase coverage backed by the federal government. what's the difference between the two? the again on option -- the federally backed plan would provide continuity, would be available in every part of the country, no matter how rural, no matter sparsely populated. its benefits would be guaranteed. its cost-sharing would be affordable.

2:38:43 to 2:39:04( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: no if's, and's, no but's. the federally backed plan would be an option but not the only option. americans who have employer manufacture sponsored coverage would still have it. americans who have individual coverage through a private insurer would still have that. the federally backed insurance would be an option not a mandate. some people will choose it. others will

2:39:05 to 2:39:25( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: one reason an option -- a federal option is important is because hundreds of americans are losing their jobs and have no place to go, in have no affordable coverage this would give them one. where would they turn otherwise? if you've ever tried to purchase affordable coverage in t invidual insurance market, you understand why a federally backed insurance program is

2:39:26 to 2:39:46( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: important. if you live in a rural area where no insurance is available, you know why a federally backed insurance option is so important? there needs to be an option for people who cannot find what they need in the private insurance market. just like med compare is there the federally backed option will

2:39:47 to 2:40:08( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: give those under 65 place to turn. the second strategy is to fix what's right with what's -- to fix what's wrong with private insurance. ohioans shouldn't be discriminated against because by insurers need. take, for example, deb about a. she's nearly one of the 50 million americans locked out of our health care system because

2:40:09 to 2:40:29( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: she lacks health insurance. her income is thigh for medicaid and her preexisting conditions -- she has a spinal injury and is recovering fm two heart attacks -- those preexisting conditions fiefnedzing affordable insurance in the private market. as a result, she's piled up thousands of dollars of unpaid bills and is in constant pain.

2:40:30 to 2:40:50( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: she wrote to me my only option is to start paying for my funeral. ohioans shouldn't have to go through 100 hoops just to get a claim paid or to see the specialist they need. they shouldn't have to wait for months check. they shouldn't have to pay premiums that break the bank. they shouldn't have to pay copays and deductibles so high

2:40:51 to 2:41:11( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: that and purposes is meaningless. they shouldn't be subjected to huge bills based on t difference between what their provider charges and their insurer's reasonable and customer at the sam payments. when an insurer reimburses providers, only pennies on the dollar up the difference, that's not reasonable.

2:41:12 to 2:41:33( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: that's not real insurance. long story short, insurance reform plus the public option must be part of health care reform. we can't claim we fixed our health care system while having a fault-riddled insurance s intact. if we give consumers more options, including the option to purchase federally backed coverage designed to provide

2:41:34 to 2:41:54( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: afford balingty, reliecialghts and continuity, and if we reform the private health insurance system to require insurers to actually do their job instead of scight their liability, we will have gone a long way making the u.s. health care system work for every american. thank a senator: mr. president?

2:41:55 to 2:42:15( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. dodd: let me compliment r colleague from ohio. a very eloquent statement. i think it is very noorn we all hear from our colleagues what guess on in our respective states. probably 150 round tables in the state in which he's been listening to his constituents on a we ravening issues. i think we all repor