Sander Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey, a joyful member of our committee, Mr. Pascrell.

Mr. LEVIN. Could I ask you, Madam Speaker, how much time there is remaining on each side of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself 5 seconds. The truth is we moved to repeal 1099. It was opposed by the now majority. Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), a member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), a member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), another fighter for what matters to Americans.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor). (Mr. PASTOR of Arizona asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman an additional 10 seconds.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds. I am disappointed that this diatribe about socialism comes to the floor today. Madam Speaker, I yield now for a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca). (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. It is now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to another long- time fighter for health care for Americans, Mr. McDermott of Washington. (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself 10 seconds. Almost 50 million people have no health insurance. For most of them, there is no freedom to choose. There's no ability to obtain it. It is now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to a fighter for health care for many, many decades, Mr. Stark of California.

Mr. LEVIN. I now yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself 4 minutes. Madam Speaker, health care reform is an American family law. Repealing it would hurt families all across our Nation. Repeal would mean rescission, taking away benefits from millions of Americans, giving power back to health insurance. Let's be clear: This law is working. Repealing it would have real- life consequences for millions of Americans. As many as 19 million kids in our country have health problems considered preexisting conditions. In the past it could have led health insurance companies to drop their coverage. This new law changed that. One example--there are millions: One mother in my district, Felicia Tisdale, said she has been anxious about her daughter's health insurance since she was diagnosed with diabetes at age 3. Ms. Tisdale and others like her no longer have to worry about their children being denied coverage. More than 1 million young adults are already benefiting from the provision that allows them to stay on their parents' plan until they turn 26. Just one example: A constituent, Sean McCarthy, an auto worker, told me in a letter that his two children, ages 19 and 23, could not afford to stay in college, but he was grateful that the new law at least enabled them to get health insurance by joining his plan. And then seniors, millions, millions have seen their out-of-pocket drug costs go down under this new law. Nearly 3 million Medicare recipients have received a reimbursement check in the mail in the last year relating to the doughnut hole. One gentleman who I represent, Harry Wimble of Warren, Michigan, wrote to me, thankfully, that his wife received $250 that she otherwise would not have. He said his wife paid thousands of dollars out of pocket in 2010 because of the doughnut hole. Repeal would mean releasing insurance companies once again to impose unreasonable premium increases, to deny insurance to whomever they please whenever they please, to set annual lifetime benefit limits, to discriminate against women through higher rates and arbitrary definitions of preexisting conditions. Repeal would mean retreat, retreat, from moving America ahead. We will fight that retreat. It will not happen. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds. What the reform did was to make sure that the doctor-patient relationship was maintained and that there would be millions more patients in the United States of America. I now yield 2 minutes to another distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind). (Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, could I inquire as to how much time is remaining on both sides for Ways and Means?

Mr. LEVIN. I yield for the purpose of making an unanimous consent request to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman). (Mr. ACKERMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to a former, very distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. LEVIN. It is my privilege to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin). (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. LEVIN. I regret this bill is being brought up today, but there are at least two silver linings. Number one, this bill will not become law. Health care reform remains the law of this land. And, secondly, and most importantly, it gives us Democrats a further chance to talk sense with the American people. We on this side are on the offensive on this issue. We are going everywhere. We are an American truth squad. There will be a vote today on this bill. It may well pass. It will not prevail. More Than 200 Organizations Opposed to H.R. 2, Patients' Rights Repeal Act

Mr. LEVIN. I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to Ms. Edwards from Maryland.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).