Chellie Pingree

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. And I will just be brief. I want to have plenty of time for my colleagues who want to talk more about the substance of this issue. But I would say, I felt there was plenty of time for the process in the Rules Committee. There was a lively conversation with some of my colleagues and your colleagues, bipartisan, back and forth. But I disagreed. I did not think that we needed to change this exemption about data in the rule, in this particular amendment. I am happy to allow the Justice Department to have a decision about this later.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the clarification on the issue of a change. I will just clarify my own remarks, that I agreed with the sentiment that came out in this final rule that we did not need to make this exemption for the data. I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague on the other side of the aisle. We've heard a variety of reasons and excuses today about why this bill shouldn't pass, whether it was about the committee process or a loophole, debating it back and forth. But the fact is we cannot have meaningful health care reform in this country until we finally decide to put an end to insurance company greed and insurance company monopolies. We must stop companies like Anthem who demand rate increases that are many times the rate of inflation, which puts health care insurance out of reach for many, many Americans. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Thank you. I knew you wanted to hear my very brief answer on this, and I just want to clarify. I appreciate your desire to discuss the process, and I hope you take as much time as you choose to do so. But I just want to clarify----

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Well, thank you very much. I didn't even have to ask and I appreciate your offering.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Thank you to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lungren). I will not give you all of the answers I am sure you are looking for, and I feel confident that, when this bill is debated on the floor, there will be many more questions raised from the members of the committee who sat through this debate. I can only say, as a member of the Rules Committee, I, too, sat there while this conversation was going on. I am not an expert in this particular area. I am very pleased, and I want to talk a little bit about how pleased I am that we are taking on this exemption of the insurance companies. I did hear people say, and the reason that I voted the way I did yesterday, is that I heard that the Lungren safe harbor amendment was a loophole in the McCarran repeal. I heard that consumer groups had said that this was anti-consumer. A safe harbor isn't needed because the bill does not prohibit information sharing. On the other hand, putting in a safe harbor statute would automatically immunize the insurance companies, and it would not permit a case-by-case review of companies that go too far. Honestly, I am not in a position to argue this amendment, but I know it will be discussed when the bill is discussed. I want to go back to the original issue, because that is why I am standing here today. Mr. Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act. I have seen firsthand how health insurance companies have used their exemption from antitrust regulation to profit off the backs of hardworking individuals and small business owners in my home State of Maine. If you want to buy an individual insurance policy in my State, it doesn't seem like you have much choice. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine became so big and swallowed up so much of the market that, at one point, nearly 8 out of 10 people buying an individual policy ended up with them as their insurance provider. How did Anthem reward them? With skyrocketing rate increases that are impossible to keep up with. In Maine, Anthem's rates have gone up 250 percent in the last decade--10 times the rate of inflation. Last year, they asked for a 19 percent rate increase. People in Maine were shocked. Anthem, apparently, was just getting started. This year, Anthem is demanding a 23 percent increase in their rates. Mr. Speaker, the only thing rising as fast as the premiums big insurance companies charge is their profit margin. Last year, profits for the five biggest insurance companies rose by 56 percent over the year before. I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone else in this economy who got a 56 percent rate increase last year or a raise. Anthem has turned a deaf ear to the concerns of Mainers who are struggling to pay premiums. Last year, when they asked for a 19 percent increase, our insurance superintendent, Mila Kofman, denied the request, allowing them 11 percent instead, which seemed reasonable. So what did Anthem do? They immediately turned around and sued the State of Maine. As our attorney general, Janet Mill, said, ``In this economy, it's hard to believe the greed of it.'' Also last year, I learned that Anthem had suddenly and quietly changed a policy that allowed them to deny claims at our State's VA hospital. The VA staff caught the switch, but very quickly, the hospital was out $500,000. You might ask yourself, How can a company get away with that? How can a company get away with denying claims for veterans and with demanding outrageous rate increases while pocketing record profits? The answer is pretty simple. They don't have any real competition. I say enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. Anthem clearly demonstrated that their monopoly on the individual insurance market in Maine leaves consumers with little choice but to either pay escalating premiums or to go without coverage. You will hear this more than once today, and we already did from the Chair. Unbelievably, health insurance companies and Major League Baseball are the only two entities exempt from antitrust laws, and it is high time we gave the insurance companies a little competition. I know it's not what Anthem wants. It is why they have lobbied so hard against health care reform that would lower health care costs overall. It's what the American people want. The American people believe in fair play, a level playing field, and in free and open competition, not a system where one massive corporation can run roughshod over consumers. We need to put families before insurance companies and people before profits. H.R. 4626 is an essential step in achieving meaningful health reform and in giving Americans choice. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on this rule, this unamended rule, and ``yes'' on the underlying bill. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, the legislation we are considering today is about investing in jobs. It is about investing in infrastructure, and it is about rebalancing our economy. So it's not just the big banks and Wall Street firms that benefit from an economic recovery. This bill is about helping the American family. This week, a New York Times/CBS News poll surveyed unemployed Americans. Not surprisingly, they found that being unemployed takes a toll far beyond what can be measured in dollars and cents. Half of the people surveyed said they had begun to suffer from depression and anxiety, half said the recession has caused them to make major life changes, and nearly half said they have seen changes in their children's behavior that they know is a result of their difficult financial situation. We are not just helping men and women who've lost their job, who have suffered from uncertainty, emotional pain, and indignation, but we are helping their families. We are helping their children. It is time for us to invest in the jobs and policies that will get the American Dream back on track and restore the promise of opportunity and prosperity for everyone. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I rise to discuss at least one thing my colleague and friend from North Carolina mentioned. I'm a Northerner, so I can't claim to be an expert on crocodiles, but I assume that when you're talking about crocodile tears, you're talking about being insincere, and I want to say I receive letters from my constituents every day about the urgency of what we are doing today. And I have to say that like it or not, I cannot get through the pile of letters without crying tears for real. It's very, very difficult to think about the small businesses, laid-off individuals, individuals worrying about their jobs, what they're going through in my district and the urgency with which they view the actions that we are about to take today and the importance of moving on from this rule and getting to the actual debate. I want to read one of them that is in front of me here before I yield a little time to my colleague from California. This one says: ``My housemate and I were both laid off, me in September 08 and she in February 09. We have applied diligently for work in and around Portland with no luck. We had to cash in our meager 401(k)'s, and have been very thankful for the COBRA subsidy so that we could afford insurance during this most harsh of times. But our money is running out fast. ``As you know, the subsidy is about to expire, and we cannot afford the huge jump in premium. We cannot afford both the mortgage and the insurance. We cannot afford our prescriptions, and our health care will be at stake, as if things weren't bad enough. We will lose our home. ``PLEASE help push through the COBRA extension and continuation of the ARRA COBRA subsidy. It is an immediate fix for so many families who will surely gain employment over the next 6 months now that the economy has finally taken an upswing.'' Madam Speaker, those are the things that make us all cry real tears and make us want to pass this rule and go on to passing this legislation today. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield the gentlewoman 15 additional seconds.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks), a member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, before I yield to one of my colleagues, I do want to mention one point of concern I have in the bill. The conference agreement on H.R. 3326 is the first step towards cutting wasteful defense spending, but it is by no means perfect. It is no means the last step that we must take. The conference agreement provides $465 million for the development of an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This provision represents businesses as usual in Washington for providing funds for an engine that's already being built and already being built well. There is no need to devote our precious Federal dollars to a wasteful alternative engine program at this time when Americans are struggling to find jobs to pay their medical bills and to put food on the table. Every defense bill that we spend wisely contributes to our national security, and every defense dollar that we waste hampers our economic security. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hare).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York, a member of the Committee on Rules, Mr. Arcuri.