Paul Kirk

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I thank the Senator.

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I thank Senator Baucus. Amendment No. 2870 Mr. President, today in the United States of America, approximately 200 million of our citizens are elderly or disabled. These are not mere statistics. They are family members and loved ones--vulnerable, challenged, and often forgotten. But they were not forgotten by their friend and advocate, Senator Ted Kennedy. He understood a fair and civilized society should be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Sadly, millions of seniors and persons living with disabilities struggle to obtain the services and supports they need to live fulfilling lives and to remain in their communities among their friends and families--in what they hoped would be their productive golden years. As Senator Kennedy understood, it is morally wrong for so many disabled men and women who need assistance to be forced to face the heartbreaking choices: Do I abandon my job, spend down my savings, move out of my home, give up my American dream in order to qualify for Medicaid, the only government program that can provide me with the supports I need, or do I forgo my independence and resign myself to living the rest of my life confined to a facility? Senator Kennedy also understood it is morally wrong when that infirm or elderly individual's friends or loved ones must also face heartbreaking choices: Do I give up my job and commit my time to care for my infirm parent at the expense of my own family and children or do I resign myself to confining my aging mother or father to a facility? Families across this country understand this heart-wrenching crisis all too well. A recent SCAN poll found that nearly 60 percent of those surveyed had a personal experience with long-term care. As this chart demonstrates, nearly 80 percent would be more likely to support health care reform if--if--it included a long-term care program. These families know the current long-term care industry is not meeting their current needs and that change must come. As always, Senator Kennedy cared how our society would be judged. He did not just sit by. He acted. He drafted the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, known as the CLASS Act, which we are debating this morning. This program was at the heart of his effort to help people with functional limitations and their families to obtain the services and supports they need. It gives them the chance to maintain their independence and remain active, productive members of their communities. Under the CLASS Act, a worker in Massachusetts, or any other State, can choose to pay a premium into this voluntary insurance program through affordable payroll deductions. After contributing for 5 years, they become eligible for a cash benefit of at least $50 a day if they become disabled. That cash benefit can make the difference in allowing a disabled person to live with independence, self-respect, and dignity. For example, it can pay for having a ramp installed to their home or to pay for needed transportation or to purchase a computer to work from home and remain self-sufficient. It can also pay for a caregiver to come to their home, help them bathe, get dressed, and cook meals-- services that otherwise often fall to family and friends who are forced to work reduced hours on their own jobs or quit those jobs altogether to provide that needed care. Currently, long-term care, as we know it, is paid for through a fragmented combination of sources, including family budgets, Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Without a prior and voluntary insurance investment, which the CLASS Act offers, paying for long-term care can be financially catastrophic for many individuals and families, since home care and nursing homes can cost over $70,000 a year. Only one in five individuals can afford private long-term care insurance, and many are excluded because of preexisting conditions. Medicare's role in providing long-term services is extremely limited, covering only short-term skilled nursing care and home health. This lack of options forces many people to turn to Medicaid, which is our Nation's primary payer and only safety net program providing comprehensive long-term care services and supports. But who is eligible for Medicaid? People only qualify for Medicaid if they are or become poor. This criterion forces many families to impoverish themselves to obtain the Medicaid support they need. We have all heard the stories: The family member works hard all his or her life, and then due to an accident they cannot afford to pay for needed services and supports out of their pocket. So they now must give up their savings to become eligible to turn to the government and to Medicaid to provide the proper care they need to survive. No one wins-- not the disabled or elderly parent, not the family caregiver, not the government, and not Medicaid. I have a letter from a woman who lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. She knows firsthand how powerful the CLASS Act could be for families. Jerilyn has been caring for her sister who is brain damaged, legally blind, paralyzed, and incontinent. Jerilyn writes: Caring for my sister at home has saved the state thousands and thousands of dollars every year and we have done this care for 38 years. We fight every year to get sufficient hours for PCA care with Mass Health. We are holding down full time jobs which also supplement my sister's care. This is so wrong. Instead of encouraging families who want to keep their loved ones at home and save the state money, they work against us so I believe we will give up and just place them in nursing homes . . . which in turn cost the state more money . . . is this not totally crazy? She is asking the right question. The CLASS Act will help turn this serious, no-win situation into an everyone-wins result. It gives individuals with disabilities and their families the funds they need to obtain some of the services they need without having to resort to Medicaid. The current reliance on Medicaid is not only a strain on our families, it is also a strain on our already overburdened Medicaid system. Today, Medicaid spends nearly $50 billion a year on long-term services and supports. Estimates indicate that by 2045 that spending could exceed $200 billion. Obviously, this current course is unsustainable. In addition, the private insurance industry is not doing enough to meet the growing demand for such care. Aging baby boomers and longer lifespans will increase the demand for long-term care dramatically for decades to come. Yet 95 percent of people over age 45 do not have private long-term care insurance, and fewer and fewer people are able to buy such coverage. Make no mistake, as it stands today, if someone without adequate long-term care coverage becomes disabled, they will more than likely have to turn to the already overburdened Medicaid system to get the help they need. The CLASS Act is designed to specifically remedy this looming crisis by giving people an affordable option other than Medicaid. The act will save the system over $1.6 billion over the first 4 years that people start receiving benefits. Some opponents of the CLASS Act argue that the program will not be sustainable over time and that it will become insolvent and end up costing taxpayers large amounts. That argument could not be further from the truth. Let's give proper credit where it is due. With the help of our friends on the other side of the aisle, we have taken real steps to ensure that the program remains solvent for years to come. The act establishes a strong work requirement to make sure the funds continue to come into the program from the payroll tax deduction or from an individual's voluntarily paid premium. It requires the Secretary of HHS to review and set the premiums annually to ensure that the program will remain solvent for the next 75 years. It directs the Secretary, in addition, to review the cost projections 20 years into the future. Finally, it mandates that no taxpayer funds will be used to pay benefits. Let me repeat that final point, since I have often heard it misrepresented. No taxpayer funds will be used to pay benefits. Benefits will be paid through self-funded and voluntary premiums. During the markup in the HELP Committee this summer, Senator Dodd led a main discussion about this program. With the help of the Republicans on the committee, especially Senator Gregg of New Hampshire, additional safeguards were included to ensure that the act will stand on strong financial footing for years to come. After the committee adopted Senator Gregg's 75-year solvency amendment, the program won strong words of support from both parties. We credit Senator Gregg for that constructive contribution. This CLASS Act will do all the things it should do. It will provide financial and health security to elderly and infirm Americans. It will strengthen Medicare. It will make health reform the exact thing the American people need. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I thank Senator Dodd and Senator Baucus for their tireless leadership on this entire health care bill. I wish to say a word about the CLASS Act. We have heard Senator Dodd and others say this is the core element of this health reform bill championed by Senator Edward Kennedy. I say if he were here today, he would say this is not about politics; this is about the content of the character of our Nation. He believed, as I do, and I know Senator Dodd does, this Nation is judged or should be judged on how we treat the infirm and the weakest among us. This CLASS Act, as was eloquently pointed out by Senator Casey of Pennsylvania, involves no taxpayer funds, is fiscally solvent, and does what everyone says we must do: provide independence, self-respect, and dignity to the infirm in our society. Second, it keeps the caregivers and the loved ones from carrying that burden all by themselves and not having to sacrifice their jobs and their time and their heartache to share their children with perhaps one of their parents and dividing a family in that way. This is at the heart of what our country should be about. It is not who wins--the Republicans or the Democrats. It is not a government program. It is self-funded. It is voluntary. There is no taxpayer money involved. So what other reason could there be but politics to keep people from coming together on this issue? I urge my colleagues--all on this side and my Republican colleagues on the other side--to think about those families who are facing this plight. They are Republicans, they are Independents, and they are Democratic families as well. This is an American program for some veterans and others who have sacrificed. I think the only thing we can do, the only right thing we can do, if this is going to be a reflection of the character of this Nation, is to support the CLASS Act. I thank Senator Dodd once again. I am proud to be standing at the desk of Senator Edward Kennedy who believed deeply in this issue, who started a long time ago and wanted to see it fulfilled this afternoon. I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. I thank the Senator. I thank Senator Klobuchar for her leadership, as we approach the important moment on voting on a motion to proceed with this debate. I was appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth basically in conformity with Senator Kennedy's wishes. He knew how divided this body was over the important health care legislation and the importance of 60 votes so we could proceed to debate the merits of this bill. I am honored and humbled to be standing at his desk, to be one voice and one vote from Massachusetts. It is a historic moment, and it is a poignant moment. As I reflect on my experience on his staff, as Senator Kaufman was on Senator Biden's staff at that time, my experience began 40 years ago under the leadership of Senator Kennedy. That was the time he first spoke about the need for national health insurance that would be affordable and accessible to every single American--in hearing after hearing, in speeches on the Senate floor, and in field hearings throughout America, prodding, listening, leading. I can only reflect on how proud he would be of his colleagues and the leadership of Senator Reid and Senator Dodd, Senator Harkin, Senator Baucus, all his colleagues who are now uniting in this moment of history to do for the American people what they have waited for for several decades, even since the first utterance of this important health insurance coverage by former President Harry Truman. Having read through this bill and knowing how proud Senator Kennedy would be of this legislation, I will tell you why he would be. If you look through the bill, what does it do? It saves money. It controls costs. It reduces the Nation's deficit. It stimulates competition. It expands coverage. It strengthens Medicare. It attacks fraud, waste, and abuse. It increases transparency. It eliminates patient discrimination. It promotes flexibility and innovation. It rewards quality and value-- not quantity and volume--of health care. It provides affordable, quality health care choices for individuals, families, and small businesses across America. It introduces, through Senator Kennedy's leadership, a provision which provides long-term services for the elderly and the disabled.

Mr. KIRK. Before I do, I say to the Senator from Maryland, there is one large, major question. If this bill promises to do all these things, for the life of me, I cannot understand how 1 of the 100 of us could go home for Thanksgiving and be able to explain to middle-class families, who are stretched and looking for health security and financial stability, that he or she would not vote even to debate the merits of this legislation.

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Maryland very much.

Mr. KIRK. Well, it is exactly the same story, with one exception, I would say to the Senator from Maryland, which is that 3 years ago, Massachusetts adopted its own health reform. Now, 97 percent of the people in Massachusetts are covered with health insurance. As you have said and as the Senator from Rhode Island has said, the best illustrations of the need for health reform are the individuals, the real people. So I will tell my colleagues a story about a young lady. She is a waitress, a 24-year-old girl. Her name is Jessica Wheeler from Somerville, MA. She is a waitress and works part time as an intern. She had dreams of graduate school, but she was concerned about health insurance. We have an exchange in Massachusetts not dissimilar to what is being offered in this legislation where there is increased competition from private insurers and others. She applied to the exchange and was found eligible and enrolled and took out an insurance plan. Shortly after, she was stricken gravely ill with organ failure and was hospitalized for an extended period of time. She was made well. She has to take a pill every day in order to keep up with her condition, but her coverage was complete. She has applied now to graduate school, and although she probably has her tuition issues stretching her means and so forth, she is free of the concern and need of expensive health care bills; otherwise, she would have been without. So it is just another illustration. Just one other point on competition that keeps coming back and back, I ask myself: Why do middle-class families save their hard-earned money to buy health insurance? Obviously, the answer is so that they will have coverage if they get sick. Without competition, I will tell you what is going on. Insurance companies--now get this--are denying coverage because people are sick or they say: Well, you reached a certain limit, and we didn't realize you were going to get that sick, so we dropped the coverage.

Mr. KIRK. I know time is running short. I want to say one thing about this. We have heard talk about the status quo. Make no mistake, this is a situation with respect to--we assume when we hear the words ``status quo'' that things will remain as they are. In the area of health care and health insurance, things are not going to remain where they are. The status quo is not the status quo. We either move forward or we fall back. If we don't address or at least debate the merits of the bill and don't move it forward, we all know what is going to happen. The figures are there. The average family premium, which is now over $13,000, in 2016 will double to $24,000. That is not the status quo. That is falling back. Similarly, the number of uninsured will rise from 47 million today to 54 million in 2014. That is not the status quo. That is falling back. Fourteen-thousand people will continue to be dropped from coverage each day. That is not the status quo. That is falling back. I could go on. There is a reason this bill needs to be debated. It is because the average middle-class working family deserves and needs health care security and financial stability. This bill will bring them that. At least I hope that the Members of the Senate--all 100--would say that, on the merits, this bill and this need should be debated.

Mr. KIRK. I thank the Senator. I am honored to be a Senator in this body. Back home, they think I am the 60th vote. I would like to believe we would have a more enlightened full body and that 60 would be a number we would pass through. The American people are looking forward to debate on this issue. I think they believe they deserve many of the aspects that are contained in the bill. On behalf of my constituents in Massachusetts and those who, for so many years, revered and loved and elected and reelected Senator Kennedy--I think they all, as we do, have him in our minds and hearts tonight, and we hope we can advance this bill to the American people, knowing his spirit and years of work are a reminder of our obligation. I hope we will have a successful vote this evening. That will provide an opportunity for the American people to hear a debate and perhaps allow corrections by whatever amendments may be needed, so we proceed, keeping in mind, as is true in all legislation, we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The good is something our people have been waiting for, for decades. The time is now. Let the debate begin. I thank the Chair and yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, as the 100th Member of the Senate, it is my great honor to pay tribute to this body's longest serving Member, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, on the occasion of his record- setting 20,774th day as a Member of Congress. I have the fondest memories, as a young staffer here, of listening to the sounds of Senator Byrd's fiddle wafting from his suite on the first floor of the Russell Senate Office Building. And I am proud today, as I do most days, to wear a wristwatch which was given to me, generously, by Senator Byrd over 20 years ago as I was completing my tenure as chairman of the Democratic Party of the United States. I pay tribute to Senator Byrd on behalf of myself and the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but I also pay tribute on behalf of my predecessor and a great friend of Senator Byrd's, former Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. It is true that Senator Kennedy and Senator Byrd did not always see eye to eye on every issue. Senator Kennedy used to joke that it was Senator Byrd who taught him how to count votes in their whip race in 1971. Actually, he taught us both how to count votes because I was a young aide to Senator Kennedy in his whip's office at the time and it turned out that Senator Byrd clearly could count votes more accurately than we could. Over the years since, Senator Kennedy was always proud to be in this Chamber when his friend Senator Byrd would speak. As Senator Kennedy once said, he knew Senator Byrd was an expert on the Roman Senate, and he was sure Senator Byrd's ``wisdom and oratorical skill would make even Cicero envious.'' Senator Byrd and Senator Kennedy shared a love of the Senate, and they shared a love of poetry. One poem they returned to over the years was entitled ``A Psalm of Life'' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Senator Byrd, of course, knows this poem by heart, and so I need not read it all today. Instead, let me recite the last few stanzas to the Senate and for the Record, as these words sum up the force that is Senator Byrd: ``Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; ``Footprints that perhaps another Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother Seeing, shall take heart again ``Let us then be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.'' Throughout his brilliant career, Senator Byrd has made so many footprints on the sands of time. He has touched, taught, and inspired hundreds of colleagues from every State and thousands upon thousands of Senate staff members have marveled at his genius, his dedication to the people of West Virginia, and his unparalleled service to the Senate and to this country. I join all my colleagues in wishing him well on this special day in the history of the Senate, and I congratulate him on his incredible service to the State of West Virginia, to the Senate of the United States, and to the United States of America. We thank you, Senator Byrd, for your service, and we congratulate you. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from North Carolina. It is a privilege to be a member of her class and the class of distinguished colleagues of freshmen, and I commend her as well for her leadership in this discussion this morning, adding onto the role the freshman class is playing in advocating for health care reform for the American people. I would like to speak this morning about a key national indicators system. As we know, America is said to lead the world in health innovation. It can create the finest medical devices, the most effective drugs to treat diseases and advanced processes and procedures to care for patients. It is this wide range of remarkable innovations that has resulted in today's $2.3 trillion health care industry. But despite all of our medical achievements and technologies and the private and public money we spend on health care, we do not lead the world in health outcomes. We need to innovate not only in the way we treat patients but in the way we create and implement health care policy. For that reason, one of the most promising provisions in the draft health reform measures about to come before us is the creation of a key national indicators system. When illness strikes, we expect a health care team to carefully collect information from the patient and then consult the wide range of information available to them to achieve the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. That careful and complete process should yield the best possible course of treatment and recovery. We need the same kind of approach in the creation of wise health care policy. In particular, we need measures to identify what is wrong with our current health care system, including what is driving the increasingly high cost of care. Abundant research and reports have analyzed such questions. What is missing is a central, independent organization that can analyze all of the research performed by various organizations and make that information readily available to Congress, to the executive branch, and the American people. That is an indispensable part of successful health reform. It will give decisionmakers easier access to all the knowledge available and eliminate wasteful spending of the hard-earned dollars of American families. Senator Kennedy and Senator Enzi, in a strong, bipartisan effort, understood the need for this vital resource, and they designed a key national indicators system to provide it. It will be a nonpartisan, independent agency with a public-private partnership. It will foster better relations and relationships between members of the legislative, statistical, and scientific communities and will lead to greater transparency and accountability for spending on national health programs. Without such a resource, we will be at a serious disadvantage in fully understanding emerging health risks and in assessing whether the intended result is being achieved or adequate progress is being made on the health care challenges facing us. The key national indicators system will make all its data available on a newly created, widely accessible Web site in the health care context. This unprecedented accessibility of data will assist the public in understanding what information was used by politicians in creating health care policies. It will enable policymakers to see whether progress is being made in health reform. And it will permit practitioners and researchers to use the information for the greater benefit of patients and consumers of health and medical care. Significant progress in this area has already been accomplished. Over the years, the Institute of Medicine has been able to identify five drivers of health care quality and costs: first, health outcomes; second, health-related behaviors; third, health system performance; fourth, social and physical environment; and fifth, demographic disparities. The institute has recommended 20 specific indicators for measuring these five drivers of health care quality and cost. These indicators were carefully selected to reflect both the overall health of the Nation and the efficiency and effectiveness of our health care industry. However, the institute lacks an implementation system that can use these indicators effectively to guide future policy and practice. That is the goal and that is the mission of the new agency, the key national indicators system, we propose. Here is one example of how this legislation will improve our health care system. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that using a simple checklist during surgical procedures resulted in a one-third reduction of complications from that surgery. Reports such as these are made public, but you have to know where to look in order to access this information. The key national indicators system will take these reports, compile them, disseminate them, and make them available to the public. So any time a bill is being developed, a congressional office can go to this Web site and see all of the research that has been conducted on the topic in order to make economically sound decisions for the American people. Currently, Congress and the executive branch continue to follow old habits. We tend to reinvent the wheel with every major new bill that is introduced. That approach leads to wasted time, wasted energy, and wasted money. Old habits are not good enough to achieve tomorrow's goals. By developing this indicator system, a process will be in place so that the efficiency and effectiveness of government spending on short-, medium-, and long-term problems can be determined quickly and in a fiscally responsible manner. Our current system is unsustainable. It creates unnecessary confusion when Americans can least afford it. We need a system that will provide insight, foresight, transparency, and accountability. We will not be doing our job for the American people if we allow their money to be spent without assessing the cost-effectiveness of the various programs being developed. By creating the key national indicators system, we can reassure all Americans that we did our required due diligence and that our health care reform bill will truly work for them. I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Madam President, I thank the distinguished Senator from California and the Senator from Tennessee for allowing me to make a brief statement on a very important event that took place in this Capitol just yesterday. I was privileged and deeply moved to witness a ceremony in the Rotunda of this building at which Edward W. Brooke, the distinguished former Republican Senator from Massachusetts, was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. This award, as you know, is the highest bipartisan award that Congress can bestow. The award to Republican Senator Brooke was the result of legislation sponsored by two history-conscious Democrats: Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, DC, and Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who served with Ed Brooke in the Senate for many years. Senator Brooke was a trailblazer, a bridge builder, and a statesman. The grandson of a slave, he grew up in a segregated neighborhood not far from this Chamber. But he rose to become the first African American elected to the Senate. I am proud, and the citizens of Massachusetts are proud, to have sent Ed Brooke to Washington. We saw yesterday what our State saw in him long ago: his strength, his wisdom, his decency, and his deep commitment to meeting the needs of the American people. Ed Brooke was elected as a Republican, but the people of Massachusetts did not see him as a strident party man. They saw him as a great American and a model politician. They supported him because they understood that difficult times require statesmen who can work across party lines. Returning to the Capitol yesterday, at the age of 90, Senator Brooke spoke powerfully about this Senate as a place where Members of both parties can and must work together for the common good. That was the spirit of the Senate in which Ed Brooke served. That was the spirit of the Senate that Ted Kennedy embraced, and the spirit that led to countless bipartisan accomplishments. It is a spirit we desperately need to revitalize as we work our way through the needed reform and repair of our broken health care system. As an elder statesman of the Republican Party, this is what Senator Brooke said yesterday: I'm here to tell you that politics is not an evil thing. It's a good thing, and when used properly, it does good things. I think of the awesome responsibilities of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in these years of crisis. Three wars that we're in, and an economy that has taken such a long time to turn around, and the lack of adequate safe housing that we promised the Nation back in 1949, clear air and clear water, a health care bill. Speaking to the Senate and to the House he went on: You have awesome responsibilities. Not only this country, but this world looks to you. When Republicans and Democrats get together, they can do anything! And the country is waiting for you to do anything. They just want relief. You have that responsibility. You have that authority. You are the people on Earth who are going to save this country and save this world. Think about that. We have got to get together. We have no alternative. There is nothing left. It is time for politics to be put aside on the back burner. With those words, the several hundred people in the Chamber came to their feet and cheered and applauded. Like Senator Brooke, I have the perspective of someone who has spent the last few decades in private life. I can report that American families are deeply troubled by the economic hardship of the present and by the uncertainty of the future. It gives them no comfort to see the Senate so politically polarized and unwilling to come together in common cause without regard to politics to solve the critical problems before us. As I said in my maiden speech in this Chamber 2 days ago, as the health care debate moves forward, we who are privileged to serve in this historic body on both sides of the aisle have the opportunity and the obligation to take the long view, to put partisan politics aside, and come together to seize this unique and critical moment in our history. I have had the privilege in the past to serve as chairman of the Democratic Party of the United States, so I am no stranger to partisan politics. But I like to think I also know when it is time to put partisanship aside and work together. As President Obama said yesterday, while we grace Senator Brooke with this honor today, perhaps a better tribute to him would be to embrace that spirit: to compete aggressively at the polls, but then work selflessly together to serve the Nation we love. No words could serve as a better summons to the historic debate on health care that lies ahead of us. We are poised to enact the most significant domestic legislation since the civil rights era. I know each and every Senator has deeply held beliefs about how we can best reform our health care system and that those deeply held beliefs will sometimes collide. We should and we will have a vigorous debate in this Chamber. But that debate should reflect a level of cooperation that is equal to the magnitude of what is at stake for American families. It should reflect a spirit of teamwork and collaboration that we always saw in statesmen such as Ed Brooke and Ted Kennedy. Our times, and our Nation, demand nothing less. I offer my sincere congratulations to Senator Brooke. I thank him for his service to this country and his wise counsel to those of us who are serving in the Senate today. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have the remarks of Senator Brooke at yesterday's Congressional Gold Medal ceremony printed in the Record. I commend them to my colleagues, and I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following op-ed article written by Doug Flutie and printed in the Boston Globe on October 17, 2009, be printed in the Record.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I thank Senator Begich for his leadership this morning on important issues that are concerning the American people. I thank the Senator from Alaska and my other colleagues in the freshman class for advancing the important measures that the American people are anxious to see enacted to improve their health security future and their economic future as well. I also thank my colleagues for their kindness and courtesies in welcoming me to the Senate and to be a part of this impressive and distinguished team as we do what is our responsibility for the American people. This morning I wish to address a legislative initiative that will assist our senior or infirm citizens as part of our health care reform initiative. Today in the United States, there are approximately 200 million people who are elderly or disabled. These individuals are some of our most vulnerable and often they are forgotten. But they always had a friend and advocate in Senator Ted Kennedy. He was the premier legislative innovator. Senator Kennedy understood the current system is not working; that it cried out for innovation. He knew it was wrong that in order for individuals with disabilities and the elderly to receive the services and support they needed, they had to stop working, spend down their savings, abandon their dreams, abandon their homes, and possibly go into a permanent facility--all the wrong incentives for individuals who deserve dignity in those fragile years. All this, he felt, was directly contrary to our idea of living the American dream. Senator Kennedy was not one to sit idly by. He acted. He acted to try to help as many of these men and women as possible. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act--known as the CLASS Act-- was at the heart of his efforts to help people with functional limitations and their families obtain the services and support they needed in order to keep their independence and continue as active members of their communities. I am honored to take up that worthy cause. Here is how the CLASS Act will help the middle class. Under the act, a worker in Massachusetts or any other State can choose to pay into a voluntary insurance program through affordable payroll deductions. After 5 years of those deductions, they would be eligible for a daily cash benefit of $50 if they became disabled. That money can make a huge difference in allowing a disabled person to live with independence and with dignity. For example, it can pay for having a ramp installed in their home or pay for needed transportation or purchase a computer to work from home and remain self-sufficient. Some have said this innovation is unsustainable; that it is just another government benefit that will become unaffordable in the years to come. But the Congressional Budget Office and other independent auditing agencies estimate the CLASS Act will be able to maintain its solvency for 75 years. The plan is self-funded and is a cost saver for Medicaid since fewer people would need to push themselves into poverty in order to enroll in Medicaid and receive the care they need. The CLASS Act will correct that disincentive. The CLASS Act is a realistic answer to the serious problems of our current system and it is important to the lives of millions of Americans. Disability could suddenly strike any of us in the years ahead. As we work to provide health insurance to the tens of millions of Americans who do not have it, it is hard to understand why we should not meet the needs of millions of people with disabilities and the elderly who desperately need our help. I hope very much that our colleagues will support the CLASS Act as an innovative and necessary part of the current health reform bill, and I look forward to further opportunities to advance this measure, and ultimately as a part of the needed health reform bill that is coming to the floor that will help and serve the American people through its ultimate enactment. I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Madam President, as the Senate prepares to debate the critical reform of our Nation's health care system, I am privileged to stand at the Massachusetts desk from which the voice--that unmistakable, booming voice--of the most effective legislator of our time was heard throughout this Chamber that he loved for nearly a half century. The voice of Senator Edward M. Kennedy called out against injustice, denial of opportunity, and needless suffering of every kind. Sometimes with humor, sometimes with indignation, he spoke skillfully and tirelessly as a champion of working families, the poor, the disabled, and those engaged in a constant struggle for economic and social justice. Of all the issues on which he led the Senate and our Nation, the one Ted Kennedy called the cause of his life was the battle for affordable, quality health care. He saw the need as universal--made real by experiences deeply personal. He was the father of three children who faced serious illnesses and received the finest health care in the world. He understood firsthand the anguish of a parent who learns that a child is gravely ill. He found it unacceptable that some Americans receive quality health care while millions of others do not. For almost 50 years, his voice thundered in this Chamber and across the Nation with a clear and compelling message: affordable, quality health care must be a basic right for all, not a privilege for the few. In Senator Kennedy's own maiden speech in this Chamber, he noted the conventional wisdom that freshman Senators should be seen and not heard. But he felt compelled to speak out on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it was the defining moral issue of that time. As the newest of freshman Senators, who is honored to stand briefly in his place, I have no doubt about my obligation to Senator Kennedy, to the values and friendship we shared, to the citizens of Massachusetts, and to the country we love. So I am grateful for this opportunity to speak out at another defining moment for our Nation, on what I and Senator Kennedy believe to be the moral issue of this time. At this moment, we are closer to realizing the long-held dream that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care than at any time in our Nation's history. By seizing this moment, we will, at long last, put America on equal standing with other nations that long ago assured their citizens quality, affordable health care as a matter of right. Despite the urging of Republican and Democratic Presidents alike, from Theodore Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, the United States remains the only industrial Nation that has yet to guarantee health care for all its citizens. It has been 40 years since Edward Kennedy gave his first speech on this issue. In an address at the Boston University Medical Center, he declared the time had come to establish a national plan to provide affordable and quality health care for every American. Rough estimates at the time suggested 25 million were without any coverage. Today we have 46 million uninsured Americans. In the four decades since Ted Kennedy issued that challenge, despite the expenditure of trillions of dollars and a passing of a generation, millions of Americans worry each day whether their health insurance will be there for them and for their children. They fear their insurance company will drop them if they are sick or set limits on their coverage that will leave them destitute. They wonder if their insurance will be adequate and if they are but one serious illness away from bankruptcy. They ask why insurance companies are permitted to charge higher premiums for women than for men. They are afraid, if they lose their jobs, they will be unable to get new insurance because they have a preexisting condition. Worse, tens of millions of our fellow citizens go to bed each night praying their children will stay well because they have no insurance at all. They work hard, they play by the rules, they do everything possible to provide for their families, but they need every penny to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. In the end, they simply cannot afford health insurance. After decades of falling short of the mark, quality, affordable health care for all Americans is, at long last, within their reach. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Reid, Senator Dodd, Senator Baucus, and others, in combining the bipartisan work of the Health and Finance Committees, and thanks to similar work being done in the House of Representatives and the leadership and support of President Obama, we are closer than ever to fixing our broken health care system. Yes, there are issues yet to be resolved. In the days ahead, I, too, will advocate for a public option because we need to stimulate competition and reduce costs in the health care marketplace. I will also speak for the so-called CLASS Act, a voluntary, self- funded, self-insured, deficit-reducing plan that will protect millions of Americans against the crushing cost of long-term services and support so necessary in their senior years. But as this debate moves forward, we who are privileged to serve in this historic body, on both sides of the aisle, have the opportunity and the obligation to take the long view, to put aside partisan politics and come together to seize this unique and critical moment in our history. Bipartisanship works for the people. Only 3 years ago, with Senator Kennedy's guidance, Democrats and Republicans in Massachusetts worked together to adopt a health reform plan approved by a Democratic legislature, signed by a Republican Governor, and implemented with essential support from a Republican President. The experience of Massachusetts was bipartisan. It has helped to shape the legislation this Senate will soon consider. Our national legislation draws ideas from both sides of the aisle and from all parts of the political spectrum. Similar to our Massachusetts reform, it will make a lifesaving and cost-saving difference for millions of Americans, whatever their station in life and whatever their political persuasion. It is regrettable that efforts for reform in the Senate and the House have been under assault by special interests that have a financial stake in our failing health care system. As part of that opposition, they have attacked the success of our reform in Massachusetts. But let me set the record straight. First, because of our bipartisan reforms, less than 3 percent of the Massachusetts population is without health insurance today, lower than any other State. Second, the most respected independent fiscal watchdog concluded that Massachusetts implemented its reform in a fiscally responsible and financially sustainable way. Third, unlike every other State, employer-based health insurance is increasing in Massachusetts. Finally, according to a recent statewide poll by the Harvard School of Public Health, 79 percent of the public, and practitioners in every sector of the Massachusetts health care system, including physicians, strongly supports our bipartisan reform. Let me quote a recent message from a Massachusetts doctor: You will be glad to know that I just saw the very last uninsured patient in my panel of about 300 patients for whom I am the primary care physician. He is a 62-year-old diabetic electrician from Mattapan. He finally got his insurance last month--with help of [the reform law], we are now finally getting his eye exam, his blood work, and refilling all his prescriptions. That is just one example of a substantial difference a bipartisan health reform measure has made in the lives of the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. That is the kind of substantial difference bipartisan reform can make in the lives of people all across America. I am the 100th Member, the most junior Member of this distinguished body. But I am hopeful that a newcomer's perspective will be received as a constructive contribution to this debate. Let me be candid. At this moment, when American families are imperiled by economic hardship and uncertainty, it gives them no comfort to see the Senate so politically polarized over an issue that should be bringing us together on their behalf. The accelerating health care and health costs crises strike fear in the hearts of the average American family. These crises should not be dividing this Chamber; they should be uniting us. These crises do not discriminate in their impact on our constituents. They are the common fears of Republicans and Democrats, Independents and the unenrolled, old and young, urban and rural, businesses large and small, workers organized and unorganized, the self-employed and the unemployed, married and single, straight and gay, and Americans of every ethnic or racial heritage. These are the people we are honored to represent. They expect us to work together in their common interests and, I submit, they deserve no less. Years from now, history will look upon this debate and record that this was our opportunity to act on a defining domestic obligation of our time. During the coming weeks, I hope each of us will take the long view, think beyond the politics of the day, and come together in good faith to do what is right for our people. When I accepted my oath of office a month ago, much was made of my being the 60th vote for health reform. This debate should not be about one party reaching 60 votes. It should be about 100 Senators reaching out to each other to reform a health care system that will better reflect the true values and character of our Nation. As this debate continues, we would do well to pause for a moment to hear Ted Kennedy's voice in the quiet of our hearts. You and I know he will urge us to seize this moment to come together in this common cause and to make sure, at long last, that all Americans will have access to the quality, affordable health care they have long deserved and now so urgently need. I yield the floor.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Madam President, Congress will pass an exceptional bill today. I know that Senator Kennedy would have been proud of this responsible legislation and the ways in which it benefits our Armed Forces and our country. The bill specifically honors the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, and it includes provisions to put mechanisms in place to strengthen our current defense operations and our national security. I commend my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for their leadership on these issues, and I am honored to serve on the committee in Senator Kennedy's place. I wanted to spend a moment praising our colleagues for agreeing to include another important provision in the bill, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I know Senator Kennedy would have been especially pleased by its inclusion. It is an extremely important bill and was especially important to Senator Kennedy. He worked on it for years to close the loopholes that have prevented effective prosecution of these flagrant crimes that terrorize entire groups of communities across America. As Senator Kennedy said so well: We want to be able to have a value system that is worthy for our brave men and women to defend. They are fighting overseas for our values. One of the values is that we should not, in this country, in this democracy, permit the kind of hatred and bigotry that has stained the history of this nation over a considerable period of time. The statistics about hate crimes are shocking and shameful. For far too long, law enforcement has been forced to investigate these vicious crimes with one hand tied behind its back. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act gives Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies the real power and authority they need to combat these brutal acts of domestic terrorism. The bill makes it clear that the time is now to stand up for all victims of hate crimes across America. It would not have advanced this far without the dedication of Senator Kennedy and other key colleagues, especially Senator Reid, Senator Leahy and Senator Levin. I also praise the incredible and tireless advocacy of Matthew Shepard's mother, Judy. She educated all of us about the immense impact of such crimes, and I know how much Senator Kennedy admired her for all she's done to make sure that no other families have to endure the horror she faced in the loss of her son. I know that it is unusual to include such a measure in the defense bill. But the rule of law will be stronger in America because of the inclusion of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act in this year's National Defense Authorization Act. I look forward to it becoming law as soon as possible.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to bring to the attention of my colleagues in the Senate that today is the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I especially want to recognize the leadership of Betty Taymor, the remarkable founder of this program. Because of Betty, more than 700 women have been educated in the programs of the center. It is incredibly admired today on the local, State, and national levels, and it is an honor for us to join in congratulating Betty for her unique achievement. My colleagues and I in our State delegation in Congress have sent a letter to Betty congratulating her on this impressive milestone of public service in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and our Nation. I look forward to the center's continuing leadership and achievements in the years ahead and I ask that our letter be printed in the Record. The information follows: Ms. Betty Taymor, Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, University of Massachusetts--Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston,

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, yesterday evening, President Obama delivered another eloquent tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. I am sure my colleagues will be pleased and touched to see it, and I ask unanimous consent that excerpts from the tribute may be printed at this point in the Record. I also ask unanimous consent that a series of tributes to Senator Kennedy from ``The Hill'' newspaper on August 29, 2009 may be printed in the Record.