Pues finalmente ha salido adelante la health care bill. Llevamos todo el día (bueno, salvo una escapada a Montecito para comer) siguiendo la votación en el Congreso: 219 a favor - 212 en contra.
Me ha gustado especialmente el discurso de Nancy Pelosi (además es que se la entiende fenomenal). Va un poco a la fibra emocional pero en un momento así todos lo hacen. Lo he encontrado reproducido sólo diez minutos después en el MPNblog.com Missouri Political News. Aquí os lo dejo. El de los Republicanos, paso, porque es más de lo mismo, que con la recesión que se está viviendo cómo se pide a los estadounidenses que paguen el seguro a otros y etc, etc. Cansinos.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank all of you for bringing us to this moment. It is with great humility and with great pride that tonight we will make history for our country and progress for the American people.
Just think, we will be joining those who established social security , Medicare, and now tonight, health care for all Americans.
In doing so, we will honor the vows of our founders, who in the Declaration of Independence said that...we are all endowed by our creator certain unalienable rights and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
This legislation will lead to healthier lives, more liberty to pursue, hopes and dreams and happiness for the American people. This is an American proposal that honors the traditions of our country.
We would not be here tonight for sure without the extraordinary leadership and vision of President Barack Obama.
We thank him for his unwaivering committement to healthcare for all Americans. And this began over a year ago under his leaderhsip in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act where we have very significant investments in science, technology, and innovation for healthcare reform. it continued in the President's budget a few months later, a budget which was a statement of our national values, which allocated resourceds that were part of our valiues system and in a way that stabilized our economy, created jobs, and lowered taxes for the middle class,...and reduced the deficit. And did so in a way that had pillars of investment including education and health care reform. Health care and educatin, equal opportunity for the American people.
And this legislation tonight, if I had one word to describe it would be, opportunity. With its investments in health care and education as a continuation of the President's budget.
We all know, and it's been said over and over again, that our economy needs something new -- a jolt. And I believe that this legislation will release tremendous entrepreneurial power into our economy. Imagine a society and an economy where a person could change jobs without losing health insurance. Where they could be self employed or start a small business, imagine an economy where people could follow their passions and their talent without having to worry that their children would not have health insurance. That if they had a child with diabetes, who was bipolar, or a pre-existing medical condition in their family, that they would be job locked. Under this bill, their entrepreneurial spirit will be unleashed.
We all know, we all know that the present health care system and insurance system in our country is unsustainable. We simply cannot afford it. it doesn't work for enough people in terms of delivery of service, and it is bankrupting the country with the upward spiral of increasing medical costs. The best action that we can take on behalf of Americans family budgets and on behalf of the federal budget is to pass health care reform.
The best action we can take to strengthen Medicare and improve care and benefits for our seniors is to pass this legislation tonight, to pass health care reform.
The best action we can do to create jobs and strengthen our economic security is to pass health care reform.
The best action we can take to keep America competitive, ignite innovation again unleash entrepreneurial spirit is to pass health care reform.
With this action tonight, with this health care reform, 32 million more Americans will have health care insurance. And those who have insurance now will be spared being at the mercy of the health insurance industry with their obscene increases in premiums, their rescinding of policies at the time of illness, their cutting off of policies even if you have been perpetually paying but have become sick.
The list goes on and on about the health care reforms that are in this legislation.
In short, 32 million more people, make it more affordable for the middle class, end insurance company discrimination on pre-existing conditions, improve care and benefits under Medicare, and extending Medicare solvency for almost a decade. Creating a healthier America through prevention , through wellness and innovation, create 4 million jobs in the life of the bill, and doing all of that by saving the taxpayer $1.3 trillion dollars.
Another Speaker, Tip O'Neill, once said "all politics is local." And I say to you tonight, when it comes to health care for all Americans all politics is personal.
It's personal for the family that wrote to me who had to choose between buying groceries and seeing a doctor. It's personal to the family that was refused coverage because their child had a pre-existing condition -- no coverage the child got worse, sicker. It's personal for women; after we pass this bill being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing medical condition.
It's personal for a senior gentleman I met in Michigan who told me about his wife who had been bed ridden for 16 years. he told me he didn't know how he was going to be able to pay his medical bills. I said to you before, "I saw a grown man cry." He was worried that he might lose his home -- that they might lose their home because of his medical bills and he didn't know how to pay them. And most of all he was too embarrassed to tell his children and ask them for help. How many times have you heard a story like that?
And it's personal for millions of families who have gone into bankruptcy under the weight of rising health care costs.
In fact, a high percentage of the bankruptcies in our country are caused by the medical bills that people cannot pay. And it's personal for 45,000 Americans and their families who have lost a loved on each year because they couldn't get health insurance.
That is why we are proud and also humbled today to act with the support of millions of Americans who recognize the urgency of passing health care reform.
And more than 350 organizations representing Americans of every age, every background, every part of the country, who have endorsed this legislation. Our coalition ranges from AARP...to the American Medical Association, the Catholic health Association, the United Methodist Church, and Voice of America's Children.
From A to Z they are sending a clear message to members of Congress -- say yes to health care reform.
We have also reached this historic moment because of the leadership and dedication of all the members of Congress, but I want to especially recognize our Chairs Mr. Waxman, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Levin, Mr. Miller, Mr. Spratt, Ms. Slaughter, for bringing this bill to the floor today.
I want to acknowledge the staff of the committees and the leadership, they have done a remarkable, dazzling us with their knowledge and know-how. ...
And now I want to end by saying this: it wouldn't be possible to talk about health care without acknowledging the great leadership of Sen. Edward Kennedy who made health care his life's work.
In a letter to President Obama before he passed away...Sen. Kennedy wrote that access to health care was the great unfinished business of our society. That is until today.
After more than a year of debate, and by the way the legislation that will go forth from here has over 200 Republican amendments. And while it may not get Republican votes and be bipartisan in that respect, it is bipartisan in having over 200 Republican amendments.
After a year of debate and hearing the calls of millions of Americans we have come to this historic moment. Today we have the opportunity to complete the great unfinished business of our society and pass health insurance reform for all Americans that is a right and not a privilege.
In that same letter to the President Sen. Kennedy wrote what is at stake are not just the details of policy, but the character of our country. Americans will look back on this day...which we honored the character of our country and honored a commitment to our nations founders and a commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
As our colleague John Lewis has said, we may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us. We have been given this opportunity. ...I urge my colleagues join together in passing health insurance reform making history, making progress, and restoring the American dream.
I urge and I vote.
