mr. yarmuth: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from kentucky is recognized to address the house for one minute. mr. yarmuth: just as we're about to reach the mountain top of health care reform, opponents of health care reform say start over. you know, there are people in this country who do have to start over. the 1,800 people or 17 a day, 700,000 a year who go into bankruptcy because of health care costs, they have to start over. they have to start rebuilding their lives all over again. and those 44,000 people -- i'm sorry -- the 14,000 people every day who lose their health insurance, they have to start over as well. they have to start the search to find out how they can protect their family with affordable health insurance. the only people who get to start over is the insurance companies who when people get very sick say we are going to start over with another customer because you're too expensive to care for. no, we can't start over because if we start over life will be

mr. yarmuth: can i have one minute? mr. mcgovern: i give him one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: they passed the bill but they didn't pay for it and now the c.b.o. says that that's going to add $8 trillion to our debt. so while the republicans say they've been concerned about solving america's health care problems, they really haven't done anything about it. and the one thing that sticks with me throughout this entire debate one year long, nobody on the republican side has ever said in any discussion that they had any interest in insuring the uninsured. those 47 million people, many of whom are going bankrupt, some of whom are dying, 18,000 a year are dying, almost a million a year going bankrupt, did they say anything about insuring the uninsured? not a word. so we're committed to providing the health care system america needs, wants and demands. we are going to do it this weekend. as i said before, this will be the proudest vote i ever cast on the floor of the house of representatives. i yield back. . the speake

mr. yarmuth: mr.aker, yesterday jewish hospital in my hometown of louisville, kentucky, was forced to lay off 250 workers and planned to eliminate 200 jobs. these hard workers who played by the rules and through no fault of their own must figure out a new way to provide for their family. here's the reasons, quote, with 900,000 kentuckyians now without health insurance, we are having a declining volume and increasing levels of uncompensated care. to my colleagues who say that health care should be scrapped, i urge you to note this tragic situation and understand health care is all about jobs and the economy. to my senator and constituent, mitch mcconnell, who keeps saying we should start over and take our time, your constituents and mine, senator, are the ones who are now starting over. louisville is anything but alone in this crisis, and the unemployed workers in my community are far from the only casualties of this failed system. i urge my colleagues to directly address our struggling economy and hig

mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute. speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, this morning on my way to the capitol i experienced a moment of karma. the first song that came on the radio when i turned it on was a song from the show "les mis." it's song on the eve of insurrection of french students many of whom know they were going to die. one more today we are going to pass an historic piece of legislation that will not take lives, it will save lives. the 18,000 lives that are lost every year due to lack of insurance. we will save medicare and we will save jobs. one more day more until we accomplish that for our economy, for our citizens and for our country. tomorrow indeed will be a wonderful day. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: madam speaker, here is what th

mr. yarmuth: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, in the week of the accomplishment that we made this weekend, my constituent and my senator, mitch mcconnell, said we have a new slogan for the fall, repeal and replace. well, that doesn't really surprise me because while we've been legislating for the american people, our opponents on the republican side have done little more than sloganeering. i hope he tells my niece, whose 1-year-old son was rejected by insurance because of an ear infection, that we repeal it. kids are disqualified for pre-existing condition. i hope he says that 15,000 small businesses in my district alone and his district, his hometown, will be denied that tax credit for providing insurance for their employees. and i hope he says we'll repeal that provision now about the doughnut hole. i have a slogan. just wait and see. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does th

mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute.the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, every time i hear republicans talking about health care reform, they say the american people don't want it. they say it so much that i think they are beginning to try to convince themselves that it's true. but there is a national poll that shows what the real story is. they asked, of all the people who are opposed to health care that say they are, how many people are opposed because it doesn't go far enough. 40%. almost 40% said that was the reason. they will not be unhappy when we pass health care reform. they will be exstactic. like the shopkeeper i talked to over christmas who said she was against what we are doing because she has diabetes and she can't wait four years for the help she needs. now, the american people will applaud us when we pass comprehensive health care reform and i will consider it >> this week lawmakers are making a final push to get health care legisl

mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, every time i hear republicans talking about health care reform, they say the american people don't want it. they say it so much that i think they are beginning to try to convince themselves that it's true. but there is a national poll that shows what the real story is. they asked, of all the people who are opposed to health care that say they are, how many people are opposed because it doesn't go far enough. 40%. almost 40% said that was the reason. they will not be unhappy when we pass health care reform. they will be exstactic. like the shopkeeper i talked to over christmas who said she was against what we are doing because she has diabetes and she can't wait four years for the help she needs. now, the american people will applaud us when we pass comprehensive health care reform and i will consider it the proudest moment of my service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempor

mr. yarmuth, i don't mean to insult you but i think you were over 55 if i'm not mistaken.don't worry about it, rest easy. this doesn't affect you. so what we can do is if we act soon is we can guarantee these programs for those near retirement. we can say to people who fought and organize their lives around these programs by the way medicare goes bankrupt in seven years according to its trustees. we can say you're going to get the medicare benefits you plan on. but if you were under 55, those of us in my x generation and everybody else, we know we are not getting the program as it is currently structured. so why don't we come up with an idea to save the program to make it sustainable, to give as a benefit that my generation that is something we know we can count on? i completely understand and completely respect people don't like the way that i propose to fix this problem. i'm basically saying let's give seniors in the future a booklet like i have as a congressman in fixed payment and then a list of medicare pre-certified plans i can choose from to get my benefit. accordin