Press Releases
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
03/15/2010
Pelosi: ‘Health Insurance Reform Starts With Our Children’
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a press conference this afternoon in the Capitol following a meeting with children’s advocates on behalf of comprehensive health insurance reform legislation. The advocates, many of whom brought young children with them, included Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund, Donna Norton of Moms Rising, Dr. Judy Palfrey, President of American Academy of Pediatrics, Bill Bentley, President of Voices for America’s Children, and Lisa Shapiro from First Focus. Below is a transcript of the press conference:
Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon. What a happy day for us at the Capitol of the United States. We have everyone from 6-week-old Isabella. We have twins. We have wonderful babies who are here to speak out for other children, to bear witness to the need for us to pass quality, affordable health care.
When people ask me, “What are the three most important issues facing the Congress?” I always say the same thing: “Our children, our children, our children.” Their health, their education, the economic security of their families, a healthy, safe community in which they can thrive, and a world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment.
Here today we have come together to talk about our children, our children, our children with some of the leading advocates in the country. We are honored by the presence of Marian Wright Edelman—no one has done more for our children, our children, our children than Marian Wright Edelman, Marian Wright Edelman, Marian Wright Edelman. With Donna Norton from Moms Rising, Dr. Judy Palfrey, President of American Academy of Pediatrics, Bill Bentley, President of Voices for America’s Children. We have, did I miss someone? First Focus, who is here from First Focus? Lisa Shapiro from First Focus.
So we are very pleased that these organizations have joined us. We are honored by their presence because they work for children all the time; that is their organized purpose. They have been a resource to us intellectually as we go forward with the legislation, and they are here with us today to make sure that bright futures are translated into the law of the land for America’s children.
Over the years, so many people have played a critical role in advancing the health and well-being, and the future of America’s children. Last year, as you know, with the help of all gathered here, we passed the SCHIP legislation, providing health insurance to 11 million children—one of the first bills signed by President Obama.
This legislation is no different. From pediatricians and nurses to advocates and activists, their voices have been important to passing this legislation and now we are closer than ever to making health insurance a reality.
For America’s families, nothing comes before the future of the health of their children. Would that not be correct for all of you and your families as well? That’s why we have come together today to remind all Americans that health insurance reform starts with our children.
Let me just talk about some of the provisions of the bill for a moment. Health insurance reform will ensure a lifetime of health for the next generation. When we pass the bill, starting immediately, no parent will have to see their child denied care of coverage because of a pre-existing condition—starting immediately.
We will extend the successful SCHIP initiative through 2019. Insurance companies will no longer be able to come between children and their doctors. We will support the education of nurses and social workers who care for children and their parents every day. We will guarantee affordable oral, hearing and vision care for our kids, improve reimbursements for primary care physicians, and ensure the Medicaid covers primary and specialty care.
None of this would be possible without the leadership of President Obama. He has gotten us to this point. We also had the inspiration and leadership for many years of Senator Kennedy. But again, all that we can do officially is greatly augmented by what happens when we have the outside validation of those whose profession, vocation, and lifetime is dedicated to the health of our children.
Our kids cannot wait another moment for us to act. American parents cannot wait another moment. Our country deserves reform. This is, when we are talking about health care reform, we are talking about the health of our children. We are talking about diet, not diabetes. We are talking about prevention and wellness. But we are also talking about reducing the deficit. It is our responsibility to future generations that we not heap mountains of debt onto future generations.
The children have been magnificent and patient and listening to all of this up until now, and that gives me the opportunity to thank them all for being here. It is so exciting for me, as you know, being a grandma.
But it also gives me a perfect opportunity to thank and acknowledge the incredible leadership of Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund and thank her for what she has done for America’s children. Thank you, Marian Wright Edelman.
Marian Wright Edelman. And let me thank the Speaker for her leadership, for her determination to see that we have real health care reform this year, and we are going to do everything we can that our children and all of America get health reform this year. Our nation badly needs health reform right now. Our children need health reform right now. Their brains and their bones and their bloods and their spirits are being formed right now; they cannot wait another year.
And we have been working at the Children’s Defense Fund for health care, for coverage for all children for over three decades, state by state, increment by increment. This bill represents the largest single step. It is a huge step forward, which gets us close to the finish line and making sure that all children in America have health coverage.
This bill will guarantee access to coverage; not only for 31 million American people who are uninsured, but it will extend guaranteed access to health coverage to more than 95 percent of our children. No, we have not gotten all the way across the finish line but we are very close toward it, and this is a huge step forward. And millions of low-income parents and adults for whom health coverage is simply out of reach are going to benefit.
This bill that the Speaker and the President are trying to get enacted this year and which must be enacted builds on and expands what works. Millions more poor children and adults will be covered by our nation’s health safety net—Medicaid and the successful children’s health insurance program CHIP. Children will be able to keep their coverage until 2019, until we see how the new exchanges will work. More than 14 million children will be covered by CHIP by 2013, and that’s twice as many as are covered today.
As you have heard, this bill has major insurance reforms, which are long overdue. And it protects children, as well as all Americans, from unjust denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions. But for children, it is going to take effect immediately, within six months. And this is going to help millions of families. It makes critical investments in prevention that guarantee our next generation—that is making their voices heard. But they are able to grow and develop and make our nation stronger. All those parents who have older children are going to see that coverage can be extended until they are 26, and I am particularly pleased that children in foster care, our most vulnerable children, will be able to get extended health coverage until they are 26 years old. And I can’t tell you how important that is. I am also very pleased that hidden here is a new home visiting program, I help to work with young parents so that we can make sure that every child gets off to a healthy start.
And I think that all in all, this adds up to a huge step forward for the American people who desperately need health reform, who desperately need health cost containment, it’s a huge step forward for all of our nation’s children and it must be enacted right now for all of us who care about America’s future and I know all of us here from the child advocacy community are going to do everything we can to make it a reality so that our children can realize their God-given potential and build a strong future for all of America. And they are going to insist on it. You should have a chorus here from all of our folk now.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Speaker Pelosi. Sometimes when one baby starts to cry, the others do. But I think they are just taking turns and not in a chorus. Thank you, Marian Wright Edelman, for your strong support of the legislation, your clear understanding of what our possibilities are, and that more still needs to be done ever after this legislation.
Dr. Judy Palfrey of the American Academy of Pediatrics is going to speak next. They are the authors of bright futures, the provisions of which are part of the Senate bill. Dr. Palfrey thank you for your leadership and for being with us.
Dr. Judy Palfrey. Thank you so much. My name is Dr. Judy Palfrey, and I am the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is a non-profit professional organization of 60,000 pediatricians. And I am really pleased to stand here alongside the Speaker and with Marian Wright Edelman and these other children’s organizations and especially with these guys to urge Congress to finish the job and pass health reform. [Applause.]
Health reform will help children and their doctors, their pediatricians. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports this process and advocates for coverage for all children in the United States, age appropriate benefits in the medical home, and we are so pleased that within the Senate bill there are strong provisions for prevention. Also, workforce improvements and we’re very grateful for the attention to appropriate payment rates for real access to covered services. Every day we see families like these who are suffering and the children are hurting and that hasn’t changed for a year. That has not changed for a year. It’s time to get health reform passed and we’re here with you. Thank you.
Speaker Pelosi. Thank you Dr. Palfrey and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Next, we’re going to hear from Donna Norton from Moms Rising. And just so you know, after we’re finished here, these babies and children are going to Members’ offices [Laughter] throughout the Capitol. Donna?
Donna Norton. That’s our secret weapon. I’m Donna Norton. I’m the National Campaign Director for Moms Rising. We’re an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization for moms and anybody who has a mom. We have more than a million members nationwide and we have members in every state. We’re proud to be here today with another mom, a powerful mom, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to stand up for moms and families everywhere and to urge her colleagues, our representatives in Congress, to pass meaningful health care reform.
Across the country, families are seeing health insurance rate hikes of up to 39 percent. And that’s not because insurers are facing tough times. In fact, last year the five largest insurance companies earned 56 percent more in profits and they covered 2.7 million fewer people.
Unless we see changes soon, unless Congress passes health reform that protects consumers and ensures that we get decent coverage, decent care, decent prices, the consequences will be dire. Families USA has estimated that without change, 275,000 people will die prematurely in the next 10 years because they don’t have health insurance coverage. Those kinds of numbers are hard to grasp — I’m going to quickly put that in perspective. A few months back, we got a letter from a Moms Rising member in Florida. The mother of three young children, who told us that she didn’t have health insurance and she couldn’t afford a crucial test that would show whether her cancer was in remission or not. So she has to face her kids and her family every single day not knowing if she’s getting better or not. And she told us to stand here today for her.
No family should have to deal with that kind of agony or heartbreak. We know it’ll take a heroic effort to get reforms passed, but we’re ready. You’ll notice that many moms here today are wearing the Moms Rising “supermom” t-shirts. We’re ready to do all we can to ensure that our families are able to get the health care that they need when they need it.
Thanks so much to Speaker Pelosi for leading the charge on this critical issue. Your efforts are truly worthy of a superhero. The moms and families of America stand with you. It’s truly time for a change. Thank you.
Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
As you see, we have some health care professionals here in addition to Dr. Palfrey and we’re very honored that they are here with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We see this as a health issue, as an economic issue, as an issue about deficit reduction issue, an entrepreneurial issue. If you could think of one thing that would make — that would be good for the economics of America’s families, that we could do right now, it would be passing health care reform — not only for the health and well-being of the family, but for their economic security as well. If you could think of one thing that would help the federal budget as well as the family budget, it would be to pass health care reform because as the President says: “Health care reform is entitlement reform.” If you could think of one thing that would contribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of America where we could be competitive internationally and domestically because our business people — our consumers are not confined to a job because their child has a pre-existing condition. Or that someone in the family has a pre-existing condition — that they could reach their aspirations, take risk, be entrepreneurial, make America more competitive—it would be to pass health care reform.
We have this opportunity, we intend to do it, and we intend to do it in a way that it responsible to the future, to our children, and we thank them for helping us deliver that message today so eloquently by their presence with us today. Thank you. [Applause.]
Just a couple questions since they’ve been very, very good about — yes, sir?
Q: Do you intend to use the self-executing rule [inaudible]?
Speaker Pelosi. The gentleman’s question is about the process — when we get our CBO report and our decisions from the Senate Parliamentarian, when we have the substance, then we will decide on the process. But, that would be one option, there are others that we may use.
Q: Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Dreier just said today that in the [inaudible].
Speaker Pelosi. I haven’t the faintest idea what he said, but whatever it is, this is very direct and very clear. It’s about accountability of the insurance companies, it’s about affordability for the middle-class, it’s about accessibility for many more people. It’s not about gymnastics alone, except if that’s part of the wellness program that we have for our children.
When we have a bill then we will let you know about the votes. But when we bring the bill to the floor, we will have the votes.
Yes, sir?
Q: I wonder if you’ve spoken to Members about [inaudible] a lot of Members are concerned about the Senate bill [inaudible] what are you telling them to get them to vote for the bill?
Speaker Pelosi. Well, remember what we’re asking them to vote for is the reconciliation package. Reconciliation package is of its nature, a budget reconciliation. So it has to relate to the budget. It has to be about the bottom-line of the federal budget. So this is about affordability for the middle-class, which we can do in the budget; it’s about state equity for Medicaid payments to states, which we can do in the budget; it’s about closing the donut hole for seniors, which we can do in the budget; it’s about changing the pay-fors for the bill, which we can do in the budget; and it’s about the reforms that we’ll see how much we can do in the budget.
We cannot deal with other language in a budget reconciliation bill. But that’s what they’re being asked to vote for.
One more question.
Q: Inaudible.
Speaker Pelosi. No. What we’re talking about here is passing this bill. It’s a bill about health care, health insurance reform, it’s not about abortion, it’s not about immigration. If you believe that the law of the land is no federal funding for abortion, there’s none in this bill. If you believe that there should be no expansion or diminishment of abortion rights, that’s what this bill does. The only reason, therefore, to oppose the bill is that you do not support health care reform. And we are taking a vote and I anticipate having the support of those who support health care reform and will not be deterred by any misrepresentations as to what the language does.
Thank you all very much. We’ll be seeing you, I’m sure, tomorrow, with another array of supporters of our bill.
But right now, I want to personally applaud our children for their good behavior.