Roland Burris

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, in the election of 1912, Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Party laid out an ambitious platform. T.R., as he was referred to, was seeking a third term as President of the United States. During his campaign, he called for a minimum wage. He demanded child labor laws and believed occupational safety should be a priority across America. Today we would take such measures for granted, but at the time, nearly a century ago, they were considered very progressive. However, there is at least one major part of Roosevelt's platform that was never enacted. He called for ``the protection of home life against hazards of sickness, irregular employment and old age, through the adoption of a system of social insurance adapted to American use.'' Ninety-seven years ago, Teddy Roosevelt was talking about health care reform--but not just any kind of reform, he was talking about a public option. He knew even then that the American people needed to have quality affordable coverage that can only be provided by a ``system of social insurance'' much like the public option we are talking about in the current legislation. That was the origin of the debate that rages on even today. Since that time, nearly every President and Congress has had to wrestle with a broken health care system; a system in which costs continue to rise even as relative health outcomes keep going down; a system that allows insurance companies to hold American families in a vice grip, squeezing them for exorbitant profits; a system that affords no choice, no competition, and no accountability for the American people. I believe that is fundamentally wrong. I believe fixing our broken system is nothing less than a moral imperative. I would imagine Teddy Roosevelt shared this belief, and since the day he raised this issue in 1912, no fewer than 10 U.S. Presidents of both political parties have also supported meaningful reform. President Herbert Hoover referred to the health care crisis as ``one of the most vital problems facing our people today'' and called for adequate care for every single American at a reasonable cost. His successor in the White House, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, said that ``the health of the people is a public concern'' and ``it is clear that there is need for a coordinated national program of action.'' When Harry Truman became President, he also took up this cause but quickly discovered that the special interests were a major threat to reform. He said: I usually find that those who are loudest in protesting against medical help by the Federal Government are those who do not need help. I will repeat that, quoting President Truman. He said: I usually find that those who are loudest in protesting against medical help by the Federal Government are those who do not need help. By the end of his Presidency, his effort had fallen short as well. He was defeated by the same kinds of influential groups that are trying to distract us even today. After Truman left office, he told friends that one of his deepest disappointments was his ``failure to defeat organized opposition to a national compulsory health insurance program.'' But even then, in the face of those who had an interest in maintaining the status quo, reform with a public option was not dead. The next President to raise the standard was John F. Kennedy, who said that the strength of a nation ``can be no greater than the health and vitality of its population.'' He believed swift action was necessary. But his time was cut tragically short before he could take action. In the decades to follow, it would be his youngest brother, Ted Kennedy, the lion of this Senate, who would wage the fight that has brought us to this junction in history today. But in the uncertain days after John Kennedy's tragic loss, the cause of health reform next fell on Lyndon Johnson, who embraced it as strongly as any President ever has. He said: For a long time in our country, we have considered public support for education [to be a] basic investment, but today we are declaring that the health of our people is just equally worthy of that support, [and] equally important to our Nation's future. But the end of Johnson's Presidency was wrapped up in the escalating Vietnam war, and Richard Nixon was swept into office. President Nixon faced a health crisis not unlike the one we face today. Mr. President, 25 million Americans were without insurance. The number has almost doubled since then. Costs were escalating, and the President knew something had to be done about it. He said: Comprehensive health insurance is an idea whose time has come in America. Let us act now to assure all Americans financial access to high quality medical care. Some of my colleagues across the aisle find it hard to believe that a Republican President made that statement almost 40 years ago. I urge them to consult the record for themselves. Back then, members of both parties agreed at the highest levels that it was time for comprehensive reform. So surely we can find agreement today, in the face of a problem that has gotten far worse. In 1977, when President Carter took office, he said the American health care system ``has left us unhealthy and unwell at the same time.'' His reform package included a public option. But, sadly, those efforts were blocked by the political opponents in Congress. Finally, in the early 1990s, President Clinton thought he had victory within reach. He called for universal, comprehensive health care and said reform must be ``our most urgent priority.'' But, once again, the opposition succeeded in delaying and distracting our efforts, and reform fell by the wayside one last time. When President George W. Bush took office, he recognized that America's health care system was broken and in need of reform. He even said that ``government has got to take an active role in reform.'' But he stopped short of calling for a public plan, and he left our broken system much as he found it. This is where we find ourselves today. Despite the leadership of 10 Presidents from both political parties, we are faced with the same broken system that has troubled our elected leaders for almost a century. Now this momentous question has fallen to us: How will we meet this test that so many have failed? These 10 Presidents were Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, and liberals. If these men had ever met one another, they probably would have found little they could agree upon. These 10 people held our Nation's highest office at very different times in the last century. They faced different challenges, confronted different obstacles, and led our Nation through decades of peace and war, ease and unrest, prosperity and depression. But although their lives and administrations might have been very different, there was at least one thing they could all agree on. There was one thing all these Presidents agreed on. Every one of them supported comprehensive health care reform. Every one of them knew our system was broken, and almost every one of them knew some form of public option was the right answer. That kind of broad and long- standing bipartisan consensus is not only remarkable, it is almost unheard of in American history. Let us take up this cause as our own. Let us make good on the promise first articulated by Teddy Roosevelt almost 100 years ago and supported by so many people since then. When President Barack Obama came to office less than a year ago, he vowed to succeed where so many of his predecessors had failed. He became the 11th President in the last 100 years to take up the challenge of health care. Thanks to his leadership, I have faith there will not need to be a 12th President to work on this issue. This time, we will not fail. We will not fall short on this issue. At long last, it is time to heed this call. The weight of history and of consensus cannot be denied and it can no longer be ignored. We must pass meaningful health care reform that includes a public option. Our Nation has been debating this issue for nearly 100 years. Now is not the time to back down. We have talked for a century. So let us now act with conviction. Friends, colleagues, fellow Americans, once again, our time has come. We must cast aside the tired constraints of partisanship and work together on behalf of the hardworking Americans we swore to represent. Eleven Presidents have stood up for health care reform, and now, colleagues, it is our turn. Let us succeed where our predecessors have failed, and let us write this history. Let us serve the sacred trust the American people have placed in us, not merely as political leaders but as lawmakers. Colleagues, let us be statesmen. After 11 Presidents and nearly 100 years, it is time to vote for health care reform that includes a public option. It is time to stand up for the American people. I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. I thank the Senator from New Hampshire. Mr. President, this week my freshman colleagues and I have come to the Senate floor to answer a simple question. It is a question we have been hearing from ordinary Americans across the country. They want to know: What can health care reform do for me? I believe this question deserves an honest answer. Opponents of reform have resorted to lies and distortions to try to scare the American people into siding with the big insurance corporations. They talk about death panels and government takeovers and a lot of redtape between ordinary people and their doctors. These myths have been debunked many times. They have had no basis in reality. I believe the American people are tired of the scare tactics and the dishonesty. They are too smart to fall for this kind of tactic. They are interested in the truth behind our reform proposals. They just want to know: What can health care reform do for me? This is what reform with a public option can do for all Americans: It can make insurers compete for their business. Reform with a public option will restore choice to an insurance market that is currently dominated by only a few companies. In my home State of Illinois, two companies control 69 percent of the insurance market. In some places, the market is even more concentrated. As any businessman will tell us, as competition shrinks, profits soar. That is bad for the consumer. Between 2000 and 2007, profits increased by an average of 428 percent among 10 of America's top insurance providers. Other insurance premiums are rising four times faster than wages. Big corporations have the American people in a vice grip, and they are squeezing them for extraordinary profits. It is time for this to end. If we reform the insurance industry and create a not-for-profit public health option, it will force private companies to improve their prices and their products. It will restore choice and competition to the market and will help make our insurance more affordable. If you like your current plan, no one will force you to switch to a public option. Understand: If you have your doctor, you have your providers, and you have insurance coverage today, we are not going to impact you. But if your insurance provider isn't treating you right or is not giving you the coverage you need, you will have the ability to shop around. You can buy a better private plan that is guaranteed to be affordable for someone of your income level or you can choose the public option which will set its premiums at an affordable rate. Then it will rely on those premiums to remain self-sufficient. These are the facts. This is what health insurance reform with a public option means to the American people: competition, choice, and affordability. That is why I refuse to compromise on the public option because it is the only way to give the American people the quality affordable care they deserve. Let me be as clear as I possibly can. I will not vote for any health reform bill that does not include a public option. I ask my colleagues to stand with me. We have been debating reform for almost a century. Now is not the time to back down. Now is the time to act on our convictions. Let's do this for the American people. Let's make a public option a reality. I yield back my time to the distinguished Senator from New Hampshire.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, to my colleagues who are making this presentation on behalf of the people on health care, it is my pleasure to join them and speak briefly about what will take place if we do not pass, as part of insurance reform, a public option. When it comes to health care reform, we have all heard the myth that a public option would amount to a government takeover of the health care system. This is completely false and has no basis in the legislation under consideration by the Senate. Let's examine the facts: 45,000 Americans die each and every year because they do not have health insurance and cannot get quality care. That is 1 death every 12 minutes. Clearly, the system is broken. The time for action is long past. I believe we need to restore choice and accountability to the health care system. The only way to accomplish this is with a public option. It would increase the availability of care. It would help fight the disparities that plague our current system. At the moment, people of color represent half of the Nation's uninsured, even though they make up only a third of the total population. A low-cost public option would meet the needs of these who are at a disadvantage, regardless of background or skin color. The public option would restore competition to a market that is currently monopolized by only a few corporations. Take my State. In the State of Illinois, two companies dominate 69 percent of the insurance market. That is why their profits are growing four times faster than wages. This is unsustainable. It is breaking America's businesses and bankrupting American families. We talked about businesses earlier. My colleagues mentioned what this will do for small businesses. We must make sure there are choices for them to have an exchange where small businesses can shop for their insurance. If these companies have to compete with a public plan, everyone's premiums will go down. It will bring about competition in the marketplace. If you like your current insurance providers, nothing will change except that you will save money, and you won't have to worry about losing coverage when you need it. No government bureaucrat will alter your insurance plan, your doctor, or the level of care you receive. But if you can't afford insurance or your coverage has been denied due to a preexisting condition, you will be able to get quality care at an affordable rate. Just like any business, a not-for-profit public insurance option would require initial capital to get off the ground. But afterwards it would rely on the premium it collects to remain self-sufficient. The current system is a drain on American taxpayers. The public option would not be. The public option would complement private insurance providers, not drive them out of business. In fact, it will result in an increase of 1 to 3 million additional customers for private companies. In other words, by bringing all those persons into coverage, insurance companies will benefit when all these uninsured people will now be covered. There will be no government takeover, no death panels, no rationing, and no redtape between you and your doctor. It is time to reject these myths and to take decisive action. The only way to achieve meaningful health care reform and bring costs down is through a public option that creates real competition in the system. Let it be clear to all of my colleagues in this august body: I will not vote for any health care bill that does not include a public option. I yield the floor.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and move to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, earlier this week I came to the Senate floor to discuss some of the misinformation we have seen about the issue of health care reform. Just this morning, I joined my freshmen colleagues to knock down some of the persistent myths about reform and particularly about the need for a public option. As we prepare to consider a health bill before the full Senate, I would like to discuss the way forward from here. I believe our path is very clear. The only way to achieve meaningful health care reform and bring costs down is through a public option that will bring real competition into the system. That is why I will not vote for any health care bill that does not include the public option. Insurance companies should have to compete for your business just like any other company. This principle has always been at the heart of America's economy, and it does not make sense for insurance companies to get a free pass. As competition shrinks, profits soar. A public option is the only way to restore choice to the marketplace. It is the key to freedom, accountability, and fair play. That is why I will not compromise on this point. On Tuesday, our colleagues in the Finance Committee reached a new milestone on the long road to reform. They became the last of five committees in both the House and the Senate to take up this legislation. When they passed their version of the bill, it was the furthest any health reform measure has ever come. Now let us make it a reality. I congratulate my distinguished colleagues on their significant achievement. I applaud their leadership on this difficult issue. But it was disappointing this legislation did not include a public option. As we move forward and merge the Finance Committee bill with the HELP Committee's version, I will work with my friends to make sure the combined measure does include a public option. In a very short time, every Member will have the opportunity to shape this important legislation. When this bill comes before the Chamber, we will have the chance to make good on the promise Teddy Roosevelt made almost 100 years ago when he first called for sweeping health care reform. This pivotal debate is nearly at an end. The time for action is upon us. That means it is time to separate fact from fiction. It is time to discuss the facts and drown out the noise. The public option will restore choice and competition to an insurance market currently dominated by only a few companies. The public option will spur fresh accountability and a return to fair practices. Premiums will come down. Relative health outcomes will go up. For the first time in years, insurance corporations will need to compete for business. They will need to be accountable to customers and not only to shareholders. That is what reform with a public option will mean to the American health care system. When opponents of reform talk about death panels, a government takeover, and socialism, they are trying to distract us from the issue at hand. When they claim the Finance Committee bill will make premiums go up instead of down, it is the same sleight of hand we have seen from the big corporations many times before. They know they cannot win the argument on the merits so they are trying to change the subject. Instead of talking about American families and rising costs, real health outcomes, they need to rely on scare tactics to maintain their monopoly over the insurance market. That is why it is time to draw a line in the sand. It is time to reject these distractions and stand on the side of the American people. That is what this debate is about. It is about individuals who send us to Washington to fight for their rights and defend their interests. It is about families who sit around the kitchen table in Illinois and across America. They open their pocketbooks and write larger and larger checks every month. They are wondering when we will have the courage to act on our convictions. We must not delay another moment. If we fail to act, health care coverage will continue to increase in price and decline in quality. Let us rise to the challenge. Let us seize this moment. There is no doubt the Senate is the greatest deliberative body on the face of the planet. Throughout our history, contentious arguments such as this one have played out on the floor of this Chamber and the old Senate Chamber down the hall. The world knows this Senate can debate. But let it now show them we can also act. Let it show them we can take action. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I would like to speak in morning business.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Riley Roberts be granted the privileges of the floor for my presentation.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BURRIS. I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business.

Mr. BURRIS. Madam President, for almost 100 years, Washington has been wrestling with the complicated question of health care reform. On some points, we have broad consensus. Costs are up. Health outcomes are down. Our system is broken. Americans deserve better. We are faced with a crisis that breaks businesses, bankrupts families, and leaves millions of hard-working Americans out in the cold. This is why we must not fail in our efforts to make reform a reality. That is why we need to include a public option in our reform package--to foster competition, reduce costs, and extend quality care to tens of millions of Americans. I believe a public option is the only way we can accomplish these objectives. That is why I will not vote for any health care bill that does not include a public option. I believe the American people overwhelmingly support our efforts. The American people overwhelmingly support our efforts, but not everyone agrees we need meaningful reform. There are some who seem satisfied with the status quo. For example, between 2000 and 2007, profits for America's top 10 insurance companies grew by an average rate of 428 percent. While the rest of us suffer the effects of a recession, these corporations hold American families and businesses in a vice grip, and they are squeezing them for extraordinary profits. Of course, they oppose any measure that would make them compete with a not-for-profit public plan. Of course, they want to maintain their virtual monopoly over the health insurance industry. In Illinois, two companies control 69 percent of the market. People don't have a real choice anymore. This is simply unacceptable. We need the competition and accountability a public option would provide. Insurance giants have done everything they can to block such a plan. That is why I was surprised to see the study released this weekend by an insurance trade group called America's Health Insurance Plans. On the surface, it looks like the same twisting of facts, the same scare tactics and disinformation we have seen since the beginning of the debate. For instance, our opponents contend that the government wants to take over health care and create death panels. These claims have been debunked many times. In much the same way, this new industry study claims health care reform will drive costs up instead of down. They say the Senate Finance Committee bill would cost an average family an additional $4,000 over the next 10 years. But, as the committee has made clear, this analysis is fundamentally flawed. The study overlooked key parts of the bill in order to produce skewed numbers designed to deceive the American people. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the company that conducted the study for the insurance agents, freely admitted this data was deceptive and incomplete. I quote: The reform packages under consideration have other provisions that we have not included in this analysis . . . [and] if other provisions in healthcare reform are successful in lowering costs over the long term, those improvements would offset some of the impacts we have estimated. According to the very people who performed the study, it is deeply flawed. This is the same tired rhetoric we have seen time and again from those who stand to profit from our broken system. By itself, I would say this new round of disinformation is hardly surprising. But in the context of our current debate, I believe opponents of reform have actually hurt their cause. So let's take another look at the study. It actually lays out a strong case in favor of a public option. By releasing the study, these insurance giants are saying the Finance Committee bill does not do enough to contain cost. They are warning us that unless we provide Americans with a public option that can compete with private companies, these companies will raise their rates by 111 percent. That is what this study really means. It was meant to be a hatchet job, but instead it has reinforced the need for real competition and cost containment in the insurance industry. The need for a public option is as plain as day. Over the last century, Presidents from Roosevelt to Truman to Clinton to Obama have laid out a strong case for reform. Legislators on both sides of the aisle have spoken out on this issue. This weekend, the insurance giants finally tipped their hand. In their rush to discredit health care reform, these corporations inadvertently laid out a strong case for the kinds of reforms I have been talking about for months. They tried to threaten the American people with higher premiums so they can maintain their out-of-control profits. But we will not fall for their tricks--not this time, not anymore. This study proves that the insurance industry will stop at nothing to block reform. The only way to keep them in check is by restoring real competition and choice in the insurance market. That is a strong argument in favor of a public option. It is an argument some of us have been trying to make for several months. Last Friday, I was proud to join 29 other Senators to sign a letter in support of a public option. My colleagues and I know the American people deserve nothing less than meaningful reform that only a public option can provide. I never guessed the insurance industry would actually help us make the case. After a century of inaction, the momentum is finally building. Real health care reform is almost within our reach, and we must not stop now. Yesterday, my colleagues on the Finance Committee voted out their version of a reform bill. I congratulate them on reaching this milestone. This is the farthest any such bill has ever gotten. But there is much work left to do. Before we take up this legislation on the Senate floor, we need to merge the Finance bill with the HELP Committee version, and we need to make sure the combined bill includes a public option. I look forward to working with my colleagues to shape the final legislation. It is time for us to come together on the side of the American people. It is time to deliver on the promise Teddy Roosevelt made almost 100 years ago. It is time for health care reform that includes a public option. I thank the Chair.

Mr. BURRIS. Well, Madam President, I say to the distinguished Senator from New Mexico and the distinguished Senator from Rhode Island, it is certainly an honor for me to be able to participate in this discussion. I just left my 50th college reunion down in southern Illinois, where I had attended Southern Illinois University. I was introduced at the football game, by the way, which SIU won 46 to 23 or something like that. We beat Illinois State University. They announced me in about the third quarter. Well, after the game was over, I say to the Senators, there was a line of people lined up to talk to me. What were they saying in that line? Most of them were saying: Senator, whatever you do, we want you to keep a public option in that insurance bill. I said: Well, there are three bills in the House, and they have a public option in them. The bill that came out of the HELP Committee here in the Senate has a public option. And we have not gotten the Finance Committee bill--as of last Saturday. But we just passed that bill the other day. Now, it does not carry a public option. What I am saying is, I do not see how we can address all of these issues dealing with health care rather than sick care, which is what has been taking place in America, without dealing with something that is going to create competition, create a reduction in costs, and, of course, cover millions of Americans. Senator Whitehouse just talked about that 90 million--well, 47 million who are underinsured, and another 25 million to 30 million who are uninsured. So those are the problems we are having, and that is what it is going to take in order for us to get reform in America. It is unconscionable to think we could do insurance reform and think that the insurance companies are going to not continue to make their profits. As a matter of fact, I spoke about this on the floor a few moments ago. Would you believe that what they have done is criticize the bill that came out of the Finance Committee? They have played into our hands. They have criticized that bill, talking about how much money it is going to cost, which gives us the best reason we would need a public option: because the premiums are going to go up if they don't have any competition. When we look at their profits over the years, we see a 428-percent increase in their profits from 2000 to 2007. That is unacceptable. It is just unacceptable.

Mr. BURRIS. Yes.

Mr. BURRIS. It is market driven, that is correct. If they do, they have collusion going on in terms of everybody raising their prices so they would be competitive, and they couldn't then go to choice and thereby keep the rates up and their profits up. So we are talking to the current AGs. If they would do this, we might have an antitrust action, but that certainly is a circumstance we must be concerned with in terms of how they are seeking to increase their prices, and they might even be involved in a little price fixing.

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I think we must also give what is a very simple definition because I think the term has gotten misconstrued in terms of what the public option is. I hope our colleagues will understand it is nothing but choice. It will give the person who is uninsured, if they cannot get insurance--let's say the person has a preexisting condition and they lose their job and that person goes to get insurance and they will not insure that person. Hopefully, our bill would take away the preexisting condition problem. Let's just say the premiums are too high. Well, if there is a public plan, that person can go in and then acquire his or her insurance based on his or her income and ability to pay. That is what we are talking about. That is the option an uninsured person would have. That option will entitle that person to get health insurance. It also, under this legislation, would entitle that person to get preventive care, which would prevent that person from getting a chronic disease or getting to the point where a disease gets chronic and they end up going to the emergency room in order to get service. So we are talking about saving funds. We are talking about cutting down on the cost. We are talking about eliminating premiums. So I say to the distinguished Senator from New Mexico, it is crucial the words ``public option'' don't turn people off because it has gotten to the point where it is creating problems in itself, the definition. But the purpose is to make sure those persons who don't have insurance will get insurance. The President has said this. President Obama said: If you have your insurance and you like your doctor, we are not going to touch you. The reform would not interfere with you. Therefore, we are going to have it so that all of those almost 90 million Americans can get insurance, which will mean it will cut down on the costs we are all paying because of those persons who have to go to emergency rooms and who are not insured. So I hope our colleagues will understand how important this piece in the whole reform bill is, where there will be choice for Americans, choice so they can select a company and not be paying premiums through their nose because premiums are going to go up. If we don't get reform, if we don't have reform for competition, if we don't do public option-- this document says if we compete with private companies, these companies will raise their rates during this critical time by 111 percent. If we look at the profits they are making now and over the years, we will find those profits have been exorbitant. Therefore, I will say to my colleagues, it is key, even to my State of Illinois where we have only two insurance companies doing 69 percent of the insurance--that is almost a monopoly on who gets insurance--but two companies in Illinois, and we are a State of 13 million people. When two companies cover 69 percent of those who are insured, that, to me, is just not enough competition for rates to be reasonable so it is affordable.

Mr. BURRIS. Yes.

Mr. BURRIS. Yes.

Mr. BURRIS. Yes.

Mr. BURRIS. That is key. I am looking at 29 of our colleagues in this body calling for a public option. That is a tremendous number.

Mr. BURRIS. Maybe there are 30 of us who signed the letter at this point. Just what the Senator said--it is crucial that we now think about 30 more. We have to work on that.

Mr. BURRIS. Well, 72 percent of the doctors also are supportive of the public option.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, many of my colleagues have taken to the floor in recent weeks to discuss the details of health care reform and, in particular, the clear need for a public option. We have heard from distinguished Senators on both sides of the aisle. For the most part, this has been a healthy debate. But it is a debate that has been going on for almost a century. Over the years, the problem has grown. Care has become more and more expensive. Today, $1 out of every $6 spent in this country goes to pay for health care. Insurance company profits are up. Health outcomes are down. After a century of thoughtful debate, I believe the way forward is clear--very clear. The only way to achieve meaningful health care reform and bring costs down is through a public option that creates real competition in the system. Let me be clear. I will not vote for any health care bill that does not include a public option. That is because the stakes are too high to settle for anything less. Every day, more people get sick and die because they cannot get the quality care they need; 45,000 Americans died last year because they did not have adequate coverage. That is one death every 12 minutes and 45,000 more will die this year and next year and every year until we pass meaningful health care reform. Some of my colleagues think we are moving too fast, and they say we should wait. I say the American people have been waiting long enough. We must not wait another moment. A public option would restore choice and accountability to the insurance market. It would help bring down costs and make quality care affordable for every single American. If you cannot afford private insurance under the current system, you will have the opportunity to buy a low-cost public plan or a private plan that is guaranteed to be affordable based on your income level. If you have private insurance but it is too expensive or they do not treat you right, you will have the opportunity to switch to an affordable and high-quality public plan. No American has ever experienced such freedom of choice when it comes to health coverage. That is because consolidation in the insurance market has left a few corporations with control of the whole industry. In Illinois, two companies dominate 96 percent of the market. They can charge excessively high premiums, drop your coverage for any reason or no reason at all, and cap the amount they will spend on treatment in any given year. That is why their profits are breaking records and growing four times faster than wages, while the rest of us suffer the effects of a terrible recession. But we can rein in these costs. If we pass insurance reforms that include a public option, these corporations would have to compete for your business. Premiums would come down. No one would be able to drop your coverage because of a preexisting condition. Companies would not be able to drop you in the event of a catastrophic illness, and they would not be able to place a cap on the benefits you can receive during your lifetime. Honesty and fair play would be restored to the system. I don't understand how my colleagues on the other side of the aisle can oppose such a plan. I don't understand how they can oppose competition in the market, which I have always regarded as a quintessential American idea. Certainly there is nothing wrong with making a profit. Insurance companies play an important role in our system, and I support that role. But between 2000 and 2007, the profits for the top 10 insurance companies grew at an average of 428 percent. Let me repeat that. Between 2000 and 2007, the profits of the top 10 insurance companies grew by an average of 428 percent. This is not only unreasonable, it is breaking American businesses and families. Many analysts agree that health care costs have contributed to the severity of the current economic crisis, and it is easy to see why. Competition and appropriate regulations will rein in these excessive profits and put pressure on the companies to improve coverage or risk losing customers. Reform with a public option will restore choice to the insurance industry. Millions of Americans will be able to get coverage for the very first time. And far from driving companies out of business, health reform will allow an estimated 1 million to 3 million new customers to purchase coverage from private insurers. It will enhance their business. Some of my colleagues have expressed concerns about the cost of a public plan, but if they look at the way the program will function, they will see there is no reason for concern. As in any business, a not-for-profit public insurance option would require some initial capital to get it off the ground, but afterwards it would rely on the premiums it collects to remain self-sufficient. The current system is a strain on the American taxpayers. A public option will not be. There will be no government takeover. I will repeat that. There is no such thing as a government takeover. There will be no death panels, no rationing, and no red tape between you and your doctor. The public option would complement private insurance providers, not drive them out of business. It is time to take decisive action. This Senate has been debating health care reform for almost a century, while outside this Chamber ordinary Americans suffer more and more under a broken system. I believe we have been talking about it enough. Our way forward is clear. Now is the time for us to act. That is why I will not compromise on the public option. I urge my colleagues to join with me to stand on the side of the American people and demand nothing less than the real reform a public option would provide. We must not wait another moment. Mr. President, I thank you, and I yield the floor.

Mr. BURRIS

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.