Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. If I can talk about small businesses, a lot of people don't understand that the way that this bill is set up in the bill that we are going to vote on in the next few days, small businesses, when they try to buy health insurance, like individuals, because the individual is only buying for himself or the members of his immediate family, the cost is high because he is not part of a large insurance pool. The same is true for small business. In other words, if you have only five or ten employees and you try to buy a health insurance policy on the open market, you have the same problem. You are only insuring two, three, four, five, maybe up to ten people, and you are not part of a large insurance pool and so your costs are very prohibitive. What we do in this bill is say that not only can an individual go to this health exchange and be part of this large insurance pool, but also a small business can do it. If a small business can't afford a small group policy or has one but it is increasing, the costs of the premiums are going up, they can go into the exchange. They don't have to have all of their individual employees and their family go into the exchange policy. They can go into the exchange and buy a small group policy, and it will probably be a better benefit package than they have now. So they are essentially buying a small group policy that is part of a larger pool that brings the cost down. That hasn't really been brought up very much. What you mostly hear is, is my employer going to continue with his insurance or is he going to send me into this health exchange? The reality is that the business can buy a group policy for a lot less and with better benefits in the health exchange. I think you are going to find a lot of small businesses do that because they are going to get additional tax credits for it and it is just a better package. So many people today complain not only about the cost of health insurance, but when they actually buy it, it doesn't cover anything, or it covers very few things and there are a lot of out-of-pocket expenses. So we are also trying to eliminate those problems, that you can buy a basic benefit package that has good coverage and that doesn't have a lot of deductibles and co-pays as well. That is an important part of the reform as well.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 787) expressing support for designation of October 13, 2009, as National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 787. This resolution expresses support for designating October 13, 2009, as National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Metastatic breast cancer refers to stage IV breast cancer, the most advanced stage of this form of cancer. At this point, cancer cells have spread beyond the breast and underarm lymph nodes to other areas of the body. Sadly, there is no cure for breast cancer once it has reached this stage. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. The National Institutes of Health estimates that nearly 195,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2009, the majority of which occur among women. Nearly 30 percent of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer will develop metastatic breast cancer; and despite this startling statistic, advanced breast cancer is rarely discussed during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This resolution supports designation of National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. It encourages all people in the U.S. to become more informed and aware of metastatic breast cancer and requests that the Clerk of the House transmit a copy of this resolution to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. Earlier this month, my subcommittee held a hearing on four pieces of legislation that focus on prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. During this hearing, we heard from four of my colleagues who have sponsored legislation to address this important health issue. Those are Congressman Nadler, Congresswoman DeLauro, who is also the sponsor of this resolution today, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, and Congresswoman Castor. We also heard testimony from a number of advocacy groups and the National Cancer Institute. Mr. Speaker, this hearing and the resolution before us today underscore the importance of early detection of breast cancer and ensuring that, once diagnosed, women receive the best quality treatment available. As House Resolution 787 highlights, it's especially important that women with metastatic breast cancer feel supported rather than feeling isolated or ignored. As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the important issues raised with respect to the experience of breast cancer patients in today's medical environment. These patients and many others lack access to preventive services that are recommended by experts. Many patients lack coverage of the medical care that they need. That's precisely why we are hard at work trying to pass health reform legislation that will improve access to quality and affordable health care for every American. If enacted, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, currently H.R. 3200, will make dramatic improvements in our efforts to battle breast cancer. Specifically, it will provide affordable access to insurance. H.R. 3200 would prohibit insurers from excluding patients or charging higher premiums because of preexisting conditions. It would offer protection against high out-of-pocket costs by limiting deductibles and copayments and precluding insurance companies from establishing limits on annual or lifetime benefits. H.R. 3200 would also prohibit insurers from rescinding or dropping insurance policies on the basis of health status. This bill would also provide coverage of preventive services in Medicare, Medicaid, and within the newly established Health Insurance Exchange, free of cost sharing. This means that services like mammograms would be available free of copays. Early detection and treatment can help reduce the number of patients who ever get to stage IV while we continue our efforts to find a cure for those who do. I am pleased to join my colleagues today in raising awareness about breast cancer, and particularly stage IV breast cancer. Of course I want to thank, in particular, the gentlewoman from Connecticut, Congresswoman DeLauro, and my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman LoBiondo, for their leadership. Let me just say about Congresswoman DeLauro, she has been basically a champion on every aspect of breast cancer since I've been here. I think, really, without her efforts, we would not have gone as far as we have in terms of providing meaningful research and treatment. So it's certainly no surprise that she is the prime sponsor of this resolution today. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). I can't say enough about her. Her championing on the issues of breast cancer research, treatment, et cetera, are really always out there.

Mr. PALLONE. I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman). (Ms. HARMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. PALLONE. I yield to the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would just urge everyone to support this resolution. I particularly want to thank the survivors, Mrs. Myrick, Ms. DeLauro, and Ms. Wasserman Schultz. They just spend so much time devoted to this issue, whether it's research, treatment, to try to find a cure or to just raise awareness. I never cease to be amazed by their efforts. I want to thank them and I urge everyone to pass the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I respect a great deal my colleague from Kentucky who is on the Energy and Commerce Committee, but I heard him mostly talk about what he opposes. That's the problem with the Republican mantra on health care reform. They are opposed to so many things, but we really don't know what they are supportive of. The fact of the matter is from the very beginning we tried to include both sides of the aisle on this health care reform, but essentially what we heard from the Republican side was they didn't like this, they didn't like that, and, ultimately, they didn't like anything. Now we are forced, I suppose, to bring a bill to the floor which probably will get mostly or maybe only Democratic support, but it will cover everyone. It will provide that universal health care that has been so lacking with so many people now who can't find health insurance or find it increasingly unaffordable. The public option is a very important part of that, because basically it will create competition and bring down costs for the average American. We are moving forward now. We would like to have bipartisan support. But if we don't, we are still moving forward, because we know that the promise of health care for every American is really crucial.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Peter Cancro and his exemplary service to his community. Mr. Cancro is the founder and CEO of Jersey Mike's Subs, a sandwich franchise with more than 400 stores open and under development nationwide. Based in Manasquan, New Jersey, Jersey Mike's has a long history of community involvement and support. Peter Cancro began his sandwich franchise at the age of 17 when he purchased the sandwich shop he worked in during high school. Since then, he has expanded the store to the rest of the nation, and he has turned his humble sandwich shop into a profitable, nationwide franchise. Despite his title as CEO of the company, Mr. Cancro still enjoys jumping behind the counter to test his skills and demonstrate his passion for the product and the customer. He tries to instill this same passion into every Jersey Mike's store that he opens around the Nation. Mr. Cancro has successfully spread his mission to bring customers the highest quality, freshest made sub in the industry and give back to the communities in which the company operates. In addition to delivering a quality product to customers around the nation, Mr. Cancro also actively contributes to his community. That is why he strongly encourages all of his employees at Jersey Mike's to become involved in their respective communities in order to build a more lasting relationship with their customers. Madam Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in thanking Mr. Cancro for his service to his community and to communities across the nation. His accomplishments will continue to benefit and inspire my constituents, as well as his many colleagues and friends for years to come.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 2 minutes to our full committee chair from California (Mr. Waxman), who was the original sponsor of the Ryan White Act and has been working on this for years.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, Dr. Christensen, who is also a member of our committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Lynn Woolsey.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I will yield myself such time as I may consume. I just wanted to stress the importance of this in my home State of New Jersey. I know that in my district in New Brunswick we have the headquarters for the Hyacinth Foundation, which is one of the organizations that receives some of the money under the Ryan White Act. The type of work that they have been doing over the last few years to help with HIV/AIDS patients is just incredible. Obviously, we need more research, but the services and the treatment that are provided are really lifesaving for a lot of these patients, and it is so important. I know that there was some concern about the time running out because of the authorization expiring, but now we are going to guarantee that this money continues. In fact, this bill does not have a sunset provision so that these programs will continue. We won't face this problem of having another deadline in the future. So that is really crucial, and I can't stress it enough. At this time, I would like to yield such time as she may consume to Representative Lee again.

Mr. PALLONE. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I just want to thank my colleagues on the Republican side, Mr. Barton and Mr. Deal, for making this a truly bipartisan piece of legislation. At this point, I would urge passage of the bill and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1793) to amend title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the program for providing life-saving care for those with HIV/AIDS.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) for 2 minutes.

Mr. PALLONE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1793, the Ryan White HIV/ AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, as passed by the Senate. The Energy and Commerce Committee has filed a report which constitutes the legislative history for the House version of this bill. The House bill is nearly identical to the bill before us today. We worked closely with our Republican colleagues, and I would like to thank Congressmen Waxman, Barton, and Deal for their hard work on this issue. We also worked with our Senate colleagues to come together on this legislation, and I am proud to say that what we have before us today is both bipartisan and bicameral. The Ryan White CARE Act was named after a young boy who contracted the AIDS virus from a blood transfusion and sadly lost his life to this horrible disease. Since his death in 1990, we as a Nation have made great strides in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in large part due to the Ryan White program. Not so long ago, an HIV/AIDS diagnosis was a guaranteed death sentence. Today, many patients are living full and long lives due to the advancements in treatment and the complicated but effective mix of drugs and therapies that are currently on the market. In addition, we have made huge progress on education, awareness, and prevention. New knowledge of the disease has allowed for better and more targeted prevention programs that have effectively slowed the spread of HIV/AIDS. In spite of these advancements, however, Mr. Speaker, there are nearly 40,000 new HIV infections reported each year, and according to the CDC, approximately 1.1 million Americans are currently living with the disease and approximately 51,000 people in my home State of New Jersey. Since the beginning of this epidemic, an estimated 580,000 Americans with AIDS have died. It is more crucial than ever given the high numbers of Americans suffering from this disease that we have the Ryan White program. Accounting for roughly 19 percent of all Federal funds that are used on HIV/AIDS care, the program provides treatment and support services to individuals and families living with the AIDS virus and serves over half a million low- income Americans. This program is without a doubt extremely vital in our battle against this epidemic. The bill before us today does a number of things. It reauthorizes the Ryan White program for 4 years. It increases the authorization amounts to account for the increased number of individuals living with the HIV/ AIDS diagnosis. The bill eliminates the sunset provisions so that never again will patients have to fear that their services will abruptly end. It allows States who are still reporting using a code-based system to continue transitioning to a names-based system without disrupting the provision of care to patients, and it ensures that no area receives too much of a cut in funding from the previous year while also making sure that the money does get directed to those areas of the country that are hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This is a strong bill, Mr. Speaker, that will ensure continued health care services for millions of Americans who depend on them with their lives. And I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this vitally important bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say how proud I am of the fact that both in the House and the Senate we are now moving towards health care reform. The committees of jurisdiction have moved bills. The bills are now being prepared for a floor vote in both the House and the Senate. It is so important to my constituents and to every American that we have affordable health insurance. The number of people without insurance continues to grow. The statistics about increased costs for health care and insurance next year continue to go up. We need to accomplish the goal of providing affordable insurance for everyone, and that's about to be accomplished here in the Congress--both in the House and the Senate. I think we can move forward with these bills in the next few weeks and then go to conference and have a bill on the President's desk by the end of this year, which was the goal of President Obama since the beginning. So we should be very proud of the fact that we are moving forward and that this is something that finally will be accomplished for the American people.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Thomas J. Manning and his dedicated years of service to the State of New Jersey and its workers. Mr. Manning recently retired after a long career as an advocate for New Jersey's workers. Through his tenacity and hard work he became a positive force in the lives of so many. In 1969, Mr. Manning graduated from Mater Dei High School, located in New Monmouth, New Jersey. He soon became involved in the steamfitting trade, serving a five year apprenticeship before achieving the position of Mechanical Superintendent. Mr. Manning is a member of Local Union No. 475 and has served his union in a number of distinguished capacities. In 1994, he was elected to the position of Business Agent and in 2000 he was selected to serve as the union's Business Manager. He was also a trustee and Co-Chairman of the Steamfitters Local 475 Employee Benefit Trust Fund. Mr. Manning has also served in several state-wide union positions, during which time he represented and fought for thousands of his fellow workers. He served as President of the New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades. In this capacity, he worked to represent 11,000 plumbers, pipefitters, sprinklerfitters, and HVAC service providers. Mr. Manning has also served as Vice President of the New Jersey State Building and Construction Trades, President of the Mechanical Allied Crafts, and as an Executive Board Member of the New Jersey AFL-CIO. Mr. Manning is a founding member of my labor advisory committee and has become a trusted advisor to me on not only labor issues but on the environment, the economy and workers' health care. Importantly, Mr. Manning sought to continue his education in the fields of labor and political studies. He completed courses in both Labor Law and Labor History at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He also attended Rutgers University's Labor Education Center where he studied political science. Mr. Manning has been a member of numerous government and local advisory groups. In 2005, he was appointed by Governor Dick Codey to serve as a member of the School Construction Corporation Board of Directors. He also served as a member of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's Economic Development Transition Team and was later appointed to a position with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Madam Speaker, Local 475, the labor movement and the people of New Jersey are losing a true champion with the retirement of Tom Manning. I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating his impressive career. His long record of advocacy on behalf of New Jersey's workers is truly remarkable.