Congressional Record—House H6254
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H6254 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 4, 2009 But what we will give people is some- out that in an industry where you have company and denying a procedure for thing as good as Congress gets, and I CEOs making $1.6 billion like Bill somebody who actually died. And she think better, if there is this choice of a McGuire of United Health Group made, came to cleanse her soul, to essentially public option. how can you get that kind of money apologize; left that company with enor- Ms. WOOLSEY. I echo Congress- unless a whole lot of people are not mous amounts of guilt, and said that woman SCHAKOWSKY, so I don’t have to getting the health care that they that’s how the business operated. take up your time. So you can ask an- should get? How can you have these ex- And what we’re trying to create is a other question. orbitant profits that people are turning health system, a health care system, Ms. HIRONO. Ditto for me. over and still cover everybody? Well, not one that is designed to make any- Mr. ELLISON. I would like to put you can’t do it. You either have to cut body a profit. It’s to keep people this one out to you. What is it going to people out of coverage, you have to healthy. And that’s what I’ve said to take for you—I think they mean us—to deny claims, and then you can pay ex- an insurance company that said, well, wake up and smell the catastrophe orbitant profits. Or you have to actu- you know, how are we going to com- that profit health care is? ally run a decent system that extends pete? Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Let me just say, coverage, but in that case you don’t I said, look, the object of this policy first of all, I don’t know what a catas- have people making googobs of money, discussion is to figure out how are we trophe smells like. But I think a lot of and so you really do have to make a going to provide health care to Ameri- people out there are getting that whiff basic and essential choice. cans. The goal, you know, if companies of what a wreckage the current so- Ms. HIRONO. As I had mentioned can make money doing that and work- called—we don’t really have a health earlier, it is generally the States regu- ing within the system that we pre- care system. It is kind of a hodgepodge. late, so-called regulate, insurance com- scribe, God bless them. That’s what I did want to say, talking about even panies. So most States do not have the we’re heading toward right now. But our Federal plan, between 2007 and 2008, kind of resources or even the laws that the goal is not to figure out how to 14 different insurance plans dropped allow them to look at what the health maintain their high profits when it’s out of the Federal employees plan. And care insurance companies are doing, done at the expense of the health care so thousands of Federal employees who how they are basing their cost in- of millions and millions of Americans. have a plan like we do had to look for creases or their premium increases. So That’s the bottom line. Ms. WOOLSEY. And if the gentle- new coverage. And so when you have there really is a lack of transparency woman will yield. Insurers have in- got a public option, it is going to be and accountability. And when you creased premiums 87 percent over the there. It is not going to go out of busi- don’t have the ability to look at the re- last 6 years. And the premiums have ness and you have to search around for lationship between the rates they are something to replace it. doubled in the last 9 years, increasing charging and what the claims are, how four times faster than wages. So, what Ms. WOOLSEY. Because for senior can you even begin to say that people’s care, when HMOs took on senior care, for? To pay the high salaries of the needs are actually being met or that CEOs and to hire more bean counters. Medicare Advantage, et cetera, I went cost containment is actually occur- to one of my providers in my district, Mr. ELLISON. I do have to say, let’s ring? You can’t. get the last one, because we’ve got and they were telling me about this about 30 seconds to go, and I think wonderful plan that was very good. b 2220 Congresswoman HIRONO is going to get And I said, Well, what are you going to You can’t. the last word. And this has been the do when people start using it? And they Mr. ELLISON. Well, if the gentlelady Congressional Progressive Caucus, and looked at me like I was just a nut on yields back, let me tell you. Cost con- you’re going to take us out. 1 tainment, remember, any time I charge Earth. And guess what? In 2 ⁄2 years, Ms. HIRONO. Health care is a right, you and you paid me, I now made some when seniors started using the plan not a privilege, and everyone in our money, right? I’m not against making that they had purchased, this group country deserves quality, affordable money. This is America, and we have a went out of business, and those seniors health care with choice. had to find someplace else in the dis- free enterprise system. But there is Mr. ELLISON. And I think that pret- trict because people were using the such a thing as abuse. ty much does it. This has been the Pro- plan. Let me point out, profits at 10 of the gressive Caucus with the progressive Mr. ELLISON. Well, if the gentlelady country’s largest publicly traded message, and we’ll see you next week. yields back, it is a lot easier to make health insurance companies rose 428 f money when you’re just collecting the percent—I’d say that’s pretty good— money as opposed to when you actually from 2000 to 2007. In 2007, alone, the REPUBLICAN FRESHMAN have to pay it out. chief executive officers at these compa- PERSPECTIVE Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. There are a lot nies collected a combined total com- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. of people who, quite correctly, feel as if pensation of $118.6 million, an average CONNOLLY of Virginia). Under the health insurance is for the healthy, of $11.9 million each. And if it’s an av- Speaker’s announced policy of January that if you get sick, forget it. It is not erage, you know some made more and 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Wyo- always there for you. We all know that. some made less. And the fact is that ming (Mrs. LUMMIS) is recognized for 60 Mr. ELLISON. The fact is that many that is 468 times more than the $25,000 minutes as the designee of the minor- insurance companies, I think the whole a year that an average American work- ity leader. industry identifies when a person goes er makes. So the fact is, these folks are Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, my to a doctor and needs to actually use making 468 times more than the aver- name is Cynthia Lummis. I am the that coverage, they call that a medical age wage of an average worker in the Member of Congress from Wyoming. I loss. They see that as a loss to them. United States. And we’re wondering am a freshman and a Republican. That is messing with their money when why we’ve got problems. There’s no This is the first time that the fresh- somebody says, Hey, I actually need to wonder why we have problems. That’s man Republicans have engaged in a use the coverage that I’m paying you why we need a universal, single-payer Special Order, and it’s my privilege to an arm and a leg for. That is why some system. But if we can’t get it now, let’s be joined by members of the Repub- of these companies go out of business. get a system where you keep your in- lican freshmen. This is our opportunity It is not designed to do that. surance, and we have a public option. to share with you our perspective on The fact is we talked about how med- Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. You know, we’ve these first 5 months in Congress that ical expense costs families tremen- heard horror stories for years about we have shared together as freshmen, dously and also ends up people having how insurance companies hire people to tell you a little bit about ourselves to declare bankruptcy so often. The who are essentially told, at least on and about our views about this process, fact is that is one side of the coin. the first ask, just to deny the proce- about where we have been in the last 5 The other side of the coin is the over- dure, to just say no. And there was, I months and where we think, as fiscal whelming amount of profit that the in- remember a very brave doctor who conservatives, the Nation should be dustry makes. And I just want to point ended up working for an insurance going instead.