Senate Proceeding on Nov 10th, 2009 :: 0:20:15 to 0:26:20
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0:20:13 to 0:20:35( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: floor. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i -- i come to the floor to -- as i have many -- i ask unanimous consent to speakn morning business. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. brown: i come to the floor as i have many times with senator whitehouse, my colleague from rhode island, and senator udall from new mexico and others

0:20:15 to 0:26:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sherrod Brown

0:20:36 to 0:20:56( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: to talk in many cases to share letters that i've received from people in my state. these letters things in common. typically, they are letters from people who have -- who thought they had good health care if you asked them a year they have a child with a pre-existing condition and they lose their health insurance or

0:20:57 to 0:21:17( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: mayb they got sick themselves and found that their health insurance was canceled because of a policy insurance companies use called that were middle class and health care expenses, their illnesses, coupled with the insurance policies they had that were far less than adequate meant they no longer were middle

0:21:18 to 0:21:38( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: class. i've consistently a loved one has a history of asthma or cancer. i have read letters from people, in fact, who point out that if a woman is a victim of domestic violence, some insurance pre-existing condition, that

0:21:39 to 0:21:59( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: they insurance because they are more likely to again be a victim of domestic violence. i have read letters from small business owners who see double-digit premium increases year after year after year, especially if one of their 15 or 20 employees gets very sick with very expensive care and that person loses -- that insurance

0:22:00 to 0:22:21( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: company raises the rates so much that the can no longer afford the insurance. in the letters i've read from individuals who many of them in their late have lost their jobs, therefore lost their insurance, and the anxiety they feel and the hope that they in their words, i hope i can make it to 65 so i can get

0:22:22 to 0:22:42( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: in medicare because i know medicare won't deny me for a pre-existing condition. i know i can cnt on medicare. i know that stable. and last saturday night, mr. president, as we all know, in an historic vote, the house of representatives brought us one step closer that will finally make the promise of equality, affordable health care -- of quality, affordable health care for the

0:22:43 to 0:23:03( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: american people. we have been trying for 75 years, almost 100. theodore roosevelt first tried to -- republican tried to pass health care then. then franklin roosevelt tried. then harry truman tried, although they were democrats. richard nixon, lyndon johnson was able to push through congress medicare as we know.

0:23:04 to 0:23:24( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: very difficult because some of the same interest groups, insurance companies and others that oppose this legislation. and now -- and richard nixon tried to build sort of catastrophic health insurance that would have been major step for republicans. so we know how long this has been happening. that makes saturday night's vote

0:23:25 to 0:23:45( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: even more important. some -- but i also hear -- from last week, for instance, i had the opportunity to meet with ohioans who wanted to share with me their thoughts and concerns who oppose these health care changes. some don't agree that article 1 of the constitution promotes health reform. i spoke to a young man who said all of these health reforms are unconstitutional because article

0:23:46 to 0:24:08( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: 1 doesn't allow us to do that. i said does that mean we should eliminate medicare and he said yes because that article 1 doesn't allow for medicare. i'm not a lawyer, mr. president, but i -- i certainly don't read the constitution that way. i don't think very many of my colleagues do. and i think it's clear that medicare is constitutional. it's clear that what we're doing

0:24:09 to 0:24:29( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: today is equally but i wanted to run through, mr. president, the four things that were said probably with the most frequency in my meetings last week with people who are opposed to this health reform. i -- you know, i think -- i know a majority of my state supports -- and i know a majority of my state, a strong majority, supports a public

0:24:30 to 0:24:50( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: option. people from finle to cleveland to st. clairesville to vandalia support our efforts. but i also know there is opposition. and the opposition so often -- while i never question sincerity and genness of people that are talking to me that take off from work and come here on a

0:24:51 to 0:25:11( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: come here to talk individually to i do take -- i do have less respect for those people pulling down literally millions of dollars a year, whether they are insurance talk people who really are benefiting from trying to kill this health reform, efforts are less sincere and less but let me run through some of

0:25:12 to 0:25:33( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: these myths. the four things i heard the most frequently that simply aren't true about this health plan. the first one -- if my employer drops my coverage, i will be forced into the public plan. mr. president, as you know, as the senator from illinois, senator whitehouse and others know, no one is forced into the public plan. if your employer drops coverage, you can choose private insurance

0:25:34 to 0:25:54( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: or the public plan through the insurance change. that's the whole point of the public option, the word "option." it's a total option, the public plan. and it means that you can -- whether or not you have lost your insurance, if you are uninsured or you have lost your insurance or you're a small business personhat's looking for a better insurance option,

0:25:55 to 0:26:16( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: you take your employees or you go individually into the insurance exchange. you can choose aetna, you can choose wellpoint, can you choose a plan -- can you choose an ohio company, medical mutual or you can choose the public option. at no point is there anybody -- anybody in this country going to be plan. it's -- as i said, it's an

0:26:17 to 0:26:21( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: option that will remain an option. second myth i hear about a good deal of these four myths is