let's hear it for democracy! the system worked, and it will work for the american people. we will now be able to go forward with making sure that 32 million people have universal access. we've broken the stranglehold of insurance companies where pin stripe guys sitting in their boardrooms decided who got health care. now we know the people will get the health care they need, that their doctor says they need, and they will be able to afford to be able to get it. the crowds are cheering us on. and for we women, it is an enormous victory, because today, what we have been able to affirm is that insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate on the basis of

gender. where women paid 30% more for their health care with men with the same health care status. number two, women just simply being a woman, will no longer be a pre-existing condition. we cannot be denied health care because we're pregnant, because we've had a c-section, or because we've had domestic violence. and we affirmed our preventive health care, where we'll be able to get our mammograms, where we'll be able to get our maternity health care, and as we fought for the women, we also fought for the men too. it's very noisy here. it's very exciting here. but this is the voice of democracy. open, free to all. god bless you, god bless america. thank god that the supreme court followed the constitution. >> wow, barbara, great. >> senator ben cardin. >> well, first, ben cardin, senator from maryland. and have the honor of serving

with senator barbara mikulski and the people of maryland. i want to thank senator mikulski, i want to thank senator harkin, and i want to thank my colleagues here from the house of representatives for their incredible work on behalf of the american people. this is a good day for the american people. they won today. it's also a good day for the rule of law. the supreme court decision affirms prior precedent and confirms the proper role of the congress of the united states. it allows us to move forward with quality, affordable health care for all americans. where health care is a right, not a privilege. we are able to continue to move forward. it allows us to move forward with the reforms, to protect consumers against the practices of insurance companies that would deny them coverage, pre-existing conditions, and now allow families to keep their children on their insurance policies to age 26.

and allows us to continue to expand medicare to coverage that coverage gap for prescription drugs and wellness exams for our seniors. it lets us move forward with quality health care for all americans and to do it in a more affordable, cost-effective way. this is good for the taxpayers of our country. the important message today from the supreme court is that it's now time for democrats and republicans to move forward with health care. let's not relitigate what's already been done. let's continue to make progress so all americans can indeed have quality health care in america. this is the message from the supreme court, and this is what we need to continue to do. thank you. >> senator coons. >> thank you, senator harkin, senator cardin, thank you senator mikulski. i'm senator chris coons from delaware, and this is an

historic decision and important moment for our country. the people of delaware, my constituents, my neighbors, friends like kathryn and melanie, have had their lives changed for the better by the affordable care act. and for me, supporting the affordable care act has always been about the people whose lives are changed for the better, rather than the politics being shouted by the opponents of this important bill. i am pleased that the supreme court today affirmed its role in our constitutional order by deciding on narrow and appropriate grounds to uphold the core elements of the affordable care act. let me tell you why this matters to real people in my state. melanie first met my wife at an annual breast cancer walk, and her story is heartbreaking. like her mother and sister before her, she was diagnosed with near-fatal breast cancer. her husband left her when he heard this news, and she lost her health care provided through her husband's employer. having lost health care, she could not get health care

through a new employer. and she lost not only her opportunity at getting life-saving treatment, but her home. facing bankruptcy, facing death, it was through the affordable care act that she was able to get health insurance, despite her pre-existing condition that made possible critical care in delaware's hospitals. another woman we've met who has contacted my office named kathryn. when her husband passed away, her daughter then 21, lost health care, because she couldn't afford cobra. it is only because of the affordable care act that health care was reinstated for her daughter, below 26 years old. senator harkin, senator mikulski, senator cardin, dozens of others who fought so hard to pass this landmark bill can tell you dozens of similar stories from their states. it is time for us to work together. republican and democrat, senate and house. to focus on the issues that matter to the people of america.

providing affordable, high-quality health care, insisting on progress on moving forward, rather than on those who would fight to take america backwards. and i am grateful for this landmark decision by the supreme court today, upholding the constitutionality of the core provisions of the affordable care act. thank you. >> thank you very much. i'm going to turn it over to representative keith ellison, who will introduce the house members who are here, and also families usa. okay. thank you, keith. >> hey, let's hear it for our senators, everybody! we're also joined by dr. pollack from families usa. happy to have him. let me tell you this, back in the day, roosevelt wanted to see health care for all americans. truman wanted to see it. kennedy wanted to see it. you know what, we all remember how president clinton fought for

it. but today, health care for all americans has been found to be constitutional and so this is a great day for celebration. i want you all to know, we are all here today, marking this victory, clear that the work we did to get us to this point was the right thing to do, but also clear that we are going to head forward and continue to make health care truly something that all americans can have and enjoy. i want to say that i'm so proud to be here with members of the progressive caucus and the progressive community who fought for health care, who will continue to fight for health care, and so let me say to the members of the health progressive caucus who fought so hard and fought so long, we've got more miles to go, but let's take a minute to celebrate this moment. health care is constitutional. and as the senator said, irreversible.

forward ever, backward never. let me say come on up to my co-chair, mr. grijalva of arizona. >> thank you, very much, keith. and despite the shrillness next door, today is a significant day for the american people. a huge step. this supreme court, by ruling the core of the affordable care act constitutional has provided us with a step to the fundamental right that everybody in this country should have health care. and today it is affirmed that a minimum level of coverage for every american is constitutional and right. and we should celebrate that. work to be done? yes. more to gain? yes. but today, we have broken the ice on a decades-old inability to begin to do health care in this country. and the people next door should be happy. today the supreme court affirmed that romney care is

constitutional, and they should be happy with that and they should celebrate it with us. today is a victory, not just for president obama, not for those of us who supported this. but it is a victory for the american people on this long, tough road to get us to this point, to begin to create a climate in this country where health care is a fundamental right, available and affordable for every american. thank you very much. >> carolyn. carolyn maloney. >> hi, i'm congresswoman carolyn maloney from new york. god bless america, god bless the constitution, and god bless all of the presidents on both sides of the aisle that have made health care their top priority. thank you, president obama. it is a great day, it is a great day for americans. not for one party or the other or for an ideology, but for the 34 million americans who will

have access to affordable, available health care. and it is a great win for our seniors who will no longer fall through the doughnut hole, and for women who will not be discriminated against by insurance policies that historically charge them more for their premiums than their male colleagues. and women will no longer be treated as a pre-existing condition, thereby denying coverage for pregnancy, for c-sections and the very important preventative measures in the bill that will help prevent cancers and diseases. it is a great victory for our country, which is joining that family of economically advantaged countries that are providing health care to their people, all their people, and now it's time to go back to work creating jobs for healthy americans. >> i've got a lot of members of congress waiting. >> i'll be real quick.

>> no, i'm sorry. jerry nava is next. nava is next. >> i'm congressman jerry nadler of new york. today the supreme court did not disgrace itself. in upholding the affordable care act, the supreme court has shown that even in a time when washington often seems to have reached a new level of dysfunction, there remains a respect for the rule of law. a respect for precedent. and for the ability of congress to -- to legislation [ cheers and app] >> whew! protect our health care! >> and there -- [ cheers and applause ] >> go ahead. >> they're not finishing.

>> and there remains a respect for the ability of congress to legislation on matters that affect the welfare of the american people. that's what was at stake today. by not caving in to the most craven political calls, the supreme court has stood by more than 70 years of legal precedent to ensure that some 32 million americans will now have access to health insurance, to ensure that 42,000 americans will no longer die every year for lack of health insurance, to ensure that many other benefits of the affordable health care act, to assure that people can no longer be denied insurance, health insurance, because of pre-existing conditions. this is a good bill. it's a good start. we have more to do, but the supreme court today said that despite the reactionary nature of the court, the affordable care act is so clearly

constitutional, that it upheld it. the supreme court did not disgrace itself today, and we can go on from here to legislate for the better welfare of the american people. >> thank you. >> so we're going to have -- right now, dr. pollack of families usa and, doctor, thank you very much. >> good morning. i'm ron pollack, executive director of families usa. the national -- the national organization for health care consumers. today is a hallelujah moment for america's families. it means that families will have the peace of mind knowing that they will have the health coverage and care they need when they need it. and it means that tens of millions of people are going to get help so that insurance is affordable. it means insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, like children with asthma and diabetes.

it means insurance companies can no longer set an artificial cap on what they're willing to pay out when somebody has a catastrophic illness or an accident. it means that women will no longer be discriminated against and have to pay higher premiums. it means that small businesses will get tax credits so they can afford to provide health coverage for their workers. and bottom line, tens of millions of people will get health coverage for the first time. so this is an extraordinary moment, and the effort to defeat the affordable care act has been stopped in its tracks. and now we get on with the task of implementing health reform in every state all across the country. this is truly a hallelujah moment for america's families. health reform is moving forward. >> thank you, ron. >> thank you, doctor.

>> now congresswoman jan schakowsky. >> i'm congresswoman jan schakowsky from the ninth congressional district. imagine today the burden of worry that is now lifted from the shoulders of millions and millions of americans. no longer under obamacare will families have to worry that someone will have a catastrophic illness, and not only will they have to deal with the illness, but the whole family may go bankrupt because of it. that won't happens because of obamacare. no longer will the woman with breast cancer or the man with prostate cancer have to worry that he will not or she will not have access to the health care that they need. a person with mental illness will now have full access to health care. this is such a great decision. we congratulate chief justice roberts and the majority of the court for deciding that the law

of the land is that health care finally in the united states of america is a right and not just a privilege for those who can afford it. thank you. >> and now, we have gwen moore, who is the chair of the women's caucus. and progressive caucus. >> brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, today is a day we've been waitingin on for over a century in this country. the supreme court's decision to uphold obamacare, and i say it very proudly today, is especially important for women and children, the most vulnerable among americans. women are twice as likely as men to be dependent upon their spouses for health insurance.

children who are going to be covered until they're 26 are, of course, dependent upon their parents for health care. so as a -- as the co-chair of the women's caucus, i am especially celebrating this decision today for women and children in the united states. and i hope that in november women will appreciate the work and the sacrifice that democrats have made to bring this bill forward to the supreme court. thank you. >> laura richardson of california. >> i would just like to focus on two points. in 1968, at 6 years old, laura richardson from california, i wanted to become a member of congress because i thought that there were laws in the civil rights movement that were unfair. and i first of all -- my comments, i want to say to chief

justice roberts, for showing for the first time in a long time that government can work if we focus on the facts and we do what's right. in my district, we have people who cannot afford to have health care. we have young people who, due to no fault of their own, can't get a job and therefore don't have coverage. today, chief justice roberts and the other members of this court said we're going to get back to doing things right. my second point to president obama, i remember many of my colleagues here just over a year ago, we walked across the street, we were spat on, we were cussed at for standing up for people. and today, we're able to say the right thing was done. let's get about doing more work, and stop the politics, and help the american people. thank you.

>> lynn woolsey, also of california and former chair of the progressive caucus. >> thank you, thank you. today the supreme court affirmed the will of the american people. but, you know, the struggle is not over. you can hear that the republicans are going to try to dismantle, step by step for step everything that's in this legislation, and everything that the american people stand for. but instead, we now can strengthen this act. we can add health care for all. we can start working to make sure there's competition, to make sure that we have medicare for everybody. and when we do that, nobody will worry ever again about whether they have health care in the united states of america. thank you, supreme court.

thank you, progressive caucus. thank you, progressive community. thank you, democrats. we all made this happen. thank you very much. >> so we have rush holt, peter welch, shelly pingree, sheila jackson lee and hanson clark. >> i'm rush holt, i represent the people of new jersey. the history of the united states has been a history of extending human rights to every person. and to provide access to excellent health care for every woman, every child, every man, is part of that progress. today, the supreme court has allowed that progress to continue. we have work to do. we should not be continuing this circus that we see around us. we should be getting to work, to make sure that we extend

affordable, excellent health care to every person in america. the supreme court decision today makes that possible. >> thank you, rush. donna christensen, progressive caucus and a physician. and chair of the congressional black caucus. >> today the supreme court has upheld the affordable care act, settled law. we took a lot of hits on behalf of the american people, but that's over. and no amount of noise coming from our right will change that. it is the law of the land. the people of the united states have won. they now have better access to affordable health care. our nation's unsustainable health care costs will be controlled, and it will be a stronger more competitive country. i want to say, i'm proud of the work that the tricaucus has done to expand not only access, but to take our nation closer to health equity.

and i want to thank all of our partners who work with us, who supported us to make this day possible. and to applaud the administration, and secretary sebelius for their diligence and commitment to implementing this law. we look forward to working with them to make sure that the provisions that still remain are fully implemented, and to work with our state partners to make sure that no state denies any of their citizens the right to the medicaid expansion we provided in this bill. so now it's time for those republican colleagues to begin to do the work of the people, to pass jobs legislation, to pass our transportation and our appropriations bills and to take care of the people that we were elected to serve. >> is peter welsh still here? okay. shelly pingree. great progressive caucus member.

>> thank you very much. i'm shelly pingree. i represent the first congressional district of maine, and i'm proud to stand here with my colleagues, celebrating this great victory. the extreme right wing conservatives may be trying to drown us out today, but they couldn't drown out the supreme court. the united states supreme court actually decided with the american people and against the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies in the industries that wanted to deny all of us access to health care insurance. this decision means that for all those people who have been having sleepless nights, wondering if their child up to 26 can stay on their insurance coverage, or whether their pre-existing condition will be covered or for the seniors who wonder if they'll continue to have preventative care and drug coverage under medicare, they don't have to worry anymore. thanks to the leadership of our president, nancy pelosi and speaker of the house, progressives in the congress and democrats across the country, this law is standing, and we can continue to fight for its

improvement. i am proud to stand here with my colleagues today, and for once, i'm proud of the united states supreme court. >> sheila jackson lee of the great state of texas, great progressive leader. sheila jackson-lee, everybody. >> oh, my god. i am brought to tears today, and i want to thank everyone who is standing here. many of us come from the poorest districts in the land. and i happen to come from the poorest -- one of the poorest districts in america. i stand here today in the name of the sick, lying in hospital beds, or those young mothers trying to get children immunized or those elderly who cannot substitute money for prescription drugs, because they have to eat. i stand here desperately gratified for all those hours of

town hall meetings, when the violent talk of calling our president a nazi, of saying there was no caring and humanitarianism in this country, to be able to say that the sick need to be taken care of. i stand in a place where i could not be on the day of the emancipation proclamation, when slaves were freed. i could not be there. but my ancestors could tell me what it meant to be free. and today, i stand on the steps of the supreme court feeling freedom for those who lay sick in their beds. god is ever present for those of us who understand the omnipotent god that is in ourselves. and i am grateful for the supreme court who recognized above the shouting of anger and violence against the sick that they were willing to uphold the constitution that allowed us to

send young boys to war, allowed us to tax even the poorest, and if we had undermined the constitutional infrastructure of the commerce clause, the government would not exist. and so i humbly stand here today, feeling a sense that my pain has been overcome. and my mother, who died as a vocational nurse, who lived afterwards with a sickness that was chronic. that if we did not have universal medicare, for those over the age of 65, then they would lay dead in their graves, even before they could see their grandchildren. i stand here today in closing to say that america is a great country. democrats were willing to sacrifice and lose in 2010, because we believed in the humanity of all women kind and mankind. thank god. thank america. thank the constitution, and

thank the united states supreme court. i walk away in dignity! oh, yes! >> sheila jackson lee. and our last speaker is going to be hanson clark from michigan. >> everyone, i'm hanson clark. i represent the city of detroit, b of the most hard-hit regions yet very simple. it says this. that health care is a right for all americans, and that when more people have health insurance, health insurance is affordable for everyone. it makes financial sense. we needed this mandate in order to make insurance affordable for even the sickest americans, we needed americans who are healthy to buy health insurance. the more of us who have health insurance, the cheaper health insurance is for all americans. thank you so much. >> thank you, everybody. this has been a progressive caucus.

we'll keep fighting, we'll keep moving. take good care. >> four more years! >> four more years. >> everyone, let's thank our leader, representative ellison! here on c-span 3 we will wrap up our day long coverage of the u.s. supreme court decision on the health care overhaul law. you can continue to watch reactions to the supreme court decision and see what has happened throughout the day on c-span. to recap, this morning the supreme court handed down its decision upholding most of president obama's health care overhaul law. the decision was a vote of 5-4 with chief justice john roberts joining the court's four more liberal members. the chief justice wrote in the opinion the affordable care act's requirement that certain

individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may be reasonably characterized as a tax because the constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness. so upholding the affordable health care act by a vote of 5-4, again, our coverage continues on c-span, and with the supreme court ruling today we want to get your comments and feedback. you can go to our facebook page to post your thoughts and share your opinion with others. the post will remain at the top of the page for the remainder of the day. the purchasing power of gold specified as a weight unit, for example, of any national currency, was constant for a period of four centuries. >> it seems to me that the record of the gold standard in sum is a regard by