Senate Proceeding on Oct 22nd, 2009 :: 9:00:35 to 9:04:25
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9:00:23 to 9:00:43( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: for convening us and for his energic andonstant advocacy on this subject. i think he's been a wonderful leader of our caucus and wish i could stay longer but i have a plane awaiting me. and i yield to the senator from ohio the floor. mr. brown: i thank senator whitehouse. i'll wrap up to. this discussion is much better

9:00:35 to 9:04:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sherrod Brown

9:00:44 to 9:01:06( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: than a speech, frankly, from any one of us, and i appreciate the presiding officer, senator kaufman, whose contribution to this discussion more than debate, the senator from delaware, and also senator merkley who was with us and senator udall who kicked it off tonight, senator udall from new mexico. i think those posters tha put here -- let me run through again as i close.

9:01:07 to 9:01:28( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: the monopoly of -- the monopoly that has caused so much hardship for so many people that in state after state after state, my state, two insurance companies have a huge part of the market. parts of ohio, southwest ohio, cincinnati-dayton area, two insurance companies have about 80% of the market. in state after state after state, senator udall's state, it's very, very high.

9:01:29 to 9:01:50( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: in some states it's even higher. and what that does then is when you have that kind -- that lack of competion in states, you see what it brings to us after that. it brings huge it -- having so little competition means, as these companies get -- insurance companies get larger and and push out smaller insurance

9:01:51 to 9:02:12( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: companies, we end up with two or three competing much with each other. and we -- what do you end up with? you end up with a 428% increase in profits over seven years. you end up with top industry c.e.o.'s making -- the top ten making $118 million, headed by

9:02:13 to 9:02:34( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: aetna's c.e.o. mak making $24 million last year. and so what happens? 47 million americans don't have insurance. insurance premiums more than doubled in nine years. and if we do nothing, pliek on the other side cert companies would like that -- we'll double again in the next seven or eight years.

9:02:35 to 9:02:55( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: and it puts more pressure on the small businesses, making us less and less competive internationally, and we all know what that means for jobs, especially in manufauring, and you end up, again, what fuels all this, what fuels all this, in all these dollars they're making, is the insurance companies -- insurance company business model. the insurance company business

9:02:56 to 9:03:16( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: model is to deny care -- to deny insurance to start with by using very sophisticated sales practices to deny -- to keep people from even buying insurance if they're -- if they're sick, if th preexisting conditions, if they might be expensive. that's part of their business plan. the other end of their business plan is -- is to deny care as often as they can for people who have insurance.

9:03:17 to 9:03:38( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: so we know what we need to do. we know a public option will make a huge difference. and keeping the insurance indust will make a huge difference in competing and providing competition, and a public option will make a huge difference in keeping prices down. that's why we're here tonight. that's why i appreciate the work of senator kaufman, senator udall, senator merkley and senator whitehouse and why i

9:03:39 to 9:04:00( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: believe come december, when this work is completed on this -- this health insurance bill, that, frankly, our government's been working on for 75 years, since franklin roosevelt tried it, we're going to finish and by december of 2009, it's going to be a good, strong plan with a robust public option that's going to make a huge difference in people's lives. mr. president, i yield the floor

9:04:01 to 9:04:12( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: and i thank suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.