Jared Polis

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Andrews, the committee staff, and Chairman Miller for their hard work on this bill. Where are we today? Our country spends more and gets less from health care. We spend more and get less. Many small businesses and individuals are unable to afford insurance. Americans are fed up with 15 to 20 percent increases in costs every year, and that is for those of us lucky enough to have insurance. People with preexisting conditions often can't get coverage, or the very condition they need coverage for is excluded. Where does this bill take us? It encourages competition among insurance companies, giving us more choices and more stability so we can choose from hundreds of different policies, including shopping across State lines. It covers most of the uninsured by empowering them to choose the provider of their choice. It prevents pricing discrimination based on preexisting conditions. It allows small businesses to have the same purchasing power as large corporations and saves them money. It reforms our legal system to reduce the cost of frivolous lawsuits. It supports doctor and nurse training, reduces the deficit by over $10 billion, and applies free market principles to establish a playing field for health care that is good for practitioners and consumers. I encourage my colleagues to support health care.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. I would like to thank Mr. Ellison, certainly, for the kind introduction and for sharing very powerful stories. I have had the opportunity to share a number of stories on the floor of the House of Representatives, and these are all real people who are impacted. I think that, perhaps, my colleagues in the House and those watching us can see in themselves some of the experiences that American families go through. We're not just talking about the uninsured out there, some mysterious group that you're not a part of because you might have insurance. We're talking about American families, American families who are worrying because one of the parents lost a job; we're talking about soccer moms; we're talking about people with preexisting conditions. I want to briefly talk about immigration in the context of immigration and health care reform. I received some false information from an anti-immigrant group. The name of this group is the Federation for American Immigration Reform. They're actually a group that fights against immigration reform, but their name says that they're for immigration reform. They believe--and I believe that similar comments have been echoed on the floor of the House of Representatives--that there is in the health care bill before us something that allows illegal aliens to game the system and to access taxpayer-subsidized health care benefits. What they're seeking to do--and it would significantly raise the cost of the bill should they succeed--is to prevent our undocumented population, some 12 to 15 million people who reside in our country and who contribute in so many ways, from buying insurance through the exchange. Now, remember, the ``exchange'' is something that doesn't exist today. It's set up under law. It is not subsidized health care. It is where small businesses or individuals will go. They, of course, will pay the full market rate. There will be many private companies that will participate in the exchange and that will design products for the exchange. It is not a benefit. It is simply a marketplace. We've never before barred anyone from being able to purchase a product like health insurance at full price because of one's citizenship or immigration status, nor is it good policy. I think that many of us on both sides of the aisle would agree that we shouldn't have as large an undocumented population as we do. I dare say we shouldn't have an undocumented population at all. There might be different solutions to that. Mine would simply be to normalize the status of those who are here, who work hard and who contribute so much to our country. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who also agree we shouldn't have a large undocumented population, might, in fact, have a different solution to that. Insofar as they are here, we should, all of us, regardless of where we stand ideologically, want them to buy insurance with their own money if they are willing to. They certainly all won't; but to the extent that they do, they are less of a burden on the rest of us. Anybody who would seek to prevent them from accessing the exchange, which will really be ``the place''--``the place'' for individuals to buy insurance--effectively is saying that taxpayers should subsidize illegal immigrants. Frankly, I think that there are many across the country who have a problem with that. To prevent undocumented immigrants from being able to buy insurance from the exchange is saying that taxpayers should pay for their health care. They're going to go to the emergency rooms. They won't have insurance. The costs will be shifted to the rest of us and to taxpayers. We should encourage our undocumented population to buy insurance with their own money. Again, I don't think all of them will, but some of them will. That's a very good thing, and I'm very hopeful that many undocumented immigrants will participate in this exchange. The exchange makes health care affordable for individuals. Right now, we have an issue where individuals don't have the buying power of big companies. If you have a preexisting condition, which is that scarlet letter that so many residents of our country wear, forget about it. Whether you're a citizen or a noncitizen, if you're an individual, the exchange will allow you to pool your risk. The exchange has the buying power that previously has only been enjoyed by large corporations. It allows one to negotiate the very best rates with insurers. Once again, the exchange is not a benefit. It is not a product.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 3639, the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act. I would like to thank Chairman Frank and my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee for bringing us this consumer protection bill. I would also like to acknowledge and thank my friend from New York, Representative Maloney, for introducing this legislation and her continued dedication to protecting consumers and ensuring the availability of credit. Earlier this year in response to outrageous abuses of customers, both the Senate and the House passed H.R. 627, the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act or the CARD Act. The reforms that we passed and were signed by the President were carefully designed with input from consumer advocacy groups and the financial services industry. We established an implementation date of February 22 to give the entire industry--and particularly credit unions and community banks--ample time to make the necessary adjustments to comply with the new regulations. This additional time was designed to ensure that these institutions, which have been on the side of their consumers, would be able to continue to offer credit cards. Community Banks and Credit Unions were not responsible for the egregious consumer abuse that required the CARD Act, nor are they the reason that we must pass H.R. 3639 today. Rather, it was the larger institutions, many of whom are receiving public assistance, who took this grace period as an opportunity to double down on the very unconscionable behavior that prompted the action of this body. Their actions were made worse as they occurred in the context of a national recession, when many people found themselves resorting to credit to make ends meet, with salaries and work hours increasingly cut back. Mr. Chair, my constituents are tired. They see the joblessness caused as the house of cards built by Wall Street collapsed on to Main Street. They have grown impatient with an industry that required unprecedented taxpayer assistance, only to have the very institutions return the generosity of the public with unfair and unannounced interest rate hikes. This behavior is beyond unprofessional, it is beyond irresponsible, and it can only be defined in one way: un-American. Let me be clear, I do not think the resources of this body are best used by micro-managing any industry. I have consistently supported--and even introduced--legislation that moves private business out of public stewardship as quickly as possible. But Mr. Chair, when credit card issuers prove they cannot honor their obligation to their customers and fellow Americans, then it is incumbent upon this Congress to act. The bill we have before us today is simple. By moving the implementation date of the policies we have already supported to December 1st, we say in clear language that the days of credit card companies financing their excess and recklessness on the dime of taxpayers and their customers are over. To my colleagues, I offer that in joining me in support of this measure, we also speak to our constituents. We tell them that we agree that the bailouts and capricious interest rate hikes are akin to a double taxation, and that this will no longer be tolerated. Finally Mr. Chair, as we approach the holiday season and Americans prepare to travel and buy gifts for their loved ones--giving themselves a well deserved break from what has been a trying year economically-- moving the enforcement of the fair credit reforms we have agreed upon to December 1st will result in increased consumer confidence. Our nation's retailers will benefit from the public being able to shop with the security that a present for a loved one in December won't result in an unwelcome and expensive surprise in January. Mr. Chair, today we have an opportunity to accelerate the economic and social benefits of the CARD Act. Today we have an opportunity to expedite a return of a decent level of consumer confidence. I ask my colleagues to join me in seizing this opportunity by voting for H.R. 3639. I would once again acknowledge and thank Chairman Frank, Representative Maloney, the members of the Committee on Financial Services, and their staffs for their continued efforts on the issue of fair consumer credit and for this bill. I ask for the quick passage of this bill.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and the underlying bill H.R. 3854, the Small Business Financing and Investment Act. I would like to thank Chairwoman Velazquez and my colleagues on the Small Business Committee for bringing us a comprehensive well thought-out bill. I would also like to acknowledge and thank my friend from Oregon, Representative Schrader for introducing this legislation and working hard on such an important issue. Madam Speaker, while there are positive economic indicators and reasons to believe that we are on a path of recovery, this fragile, budding recovery could be stalled if we do not provide our small businesses with the tools to maintain their operations, begin to expand and create new jobs, and restore consumer confidence. H.R. 3854 will significantly improve access to credit and capital for small businesses at each stage of growth and in any economic climate. An update of the SBA's portfolio of lending and investment programs is 10 years overdue, and the current recession makes the task of helping more small firms, grow, prosper, and save and create jobs even more vital. As we speak, once frozen credit markets are beginning to thaw, and the Small Business Financing and Investment Act will prove to be a welcome heat gun. This bill will improve credit conditions for small businesses and stabilize small business lending markets, improving the availability of capital for small firms. This includes increasing the guaranty on 7(a) loans to 90 percent, waiving fees on 7(a) and CDC loans, and improving the Business Stabilization Loans by increasing the loan amounts to $50,000. By raising SBA loan guarantees and reducing risk for lenders, this bill allows banks to make lending more accessible to small firms early next year. By helping small firms purchase new equipment and inventory, the bill will help stimulate the economy and help reduce overall unemployment. As an added benefit, an increase in lending activity will also improve the health of our banking industry. Through this bill, bankers will be able to recapitalize--through their efforts of supporting business--instead of seeking Federal bailouts. Recognizing the benefit to their industry, H.R. 3854 has received the endorsement of American Bankers Association. This bill will benefit businesses nationwide. It makes permanent the Rural Lender Outreach Program, Community Express, and Veteran Participation Loan Program. Each of these programs share a common goal of assisting borrowers who have not accessed SBA programs or who have traditionally had limited access to capital. On behalf of my constituents in Colorado, I would like to particularly thank the Chairwoman and Committee for their work on drafting Subtitle B--expanded investment in small business renewable energy, and title VII (seven)--the small business early-stage investment program. The spirit of entrepreneurship in my district is only matched by our commitment and talent to lead in the renewable energy economy. These programs encourage new businesses to start; encourage all businesses to recognize cost saving through energy conservation; and promote new firms to develop and market renewable energy resources. And they are all strongly supported by the people of Colorado's second Congressional district. Without discounting the struggles of those who have lost their jobs, it should be noted that Colorado enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at seven percent. This, in part, is due to the diversity of my state's economy, the predominance of small businesses, and the efforts by state and local governments to foster entrepreneurship across all industries. Nationwide, small businesses create 64 percent of new jobs. This bill is expected to support $44 billion in small business lending every year, and will help save or create 1.3 million jobs each year. Small firms comprise 99.7 percent of all employer companies; this bill is more than an investment in small businesses, it is an investment in American job growth. Madam Speaker, oftentimes, the psychology of recovery is as important as the funds spent to drive it. By passing this legislation, this Congress makes a plain statement that we have great confidence in our fellow Americans to help each other get back to work. We state that with a little help local bankers and local merchants can come together to stock shelves and pay salaries. We tell our businesses that we will provide the tools to weather the remainder of the storm; we use traditional market mechanisms to do it; and we back our confidence with the full faith and credit of the United States government. This is a powerful message and I am proud to lend my voice to this cause. Once again I recognize the efforts of Chairwoman Velazquez and the Small Business Committee on job growth and I thank Representative Schrader introducing this legislation that we will have the opportunity to vote on today. I strongly support this rule and ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, the House Democrats have held over 3,000 public events, town halls, forums for people to give us their ideas on health care. I'm sure my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have held countless more events. I personally have held 28 events in my district in Colorado, town halls, telephone town halls, Congress on Your Corners. The input from the American people has made this bill a better bill. This bill before us, the John Dingell bill, costs over $100 billion less than the initial House bill. It reduces our deficit by over $30 billion over 10 years. Yes, we need to do more to reduce our deficit, but this bill is an important start. That's something I heard from my constituents, and we're acting upon it by incorporating that into this bill. Other suggestions from my constituents included making sure that we have interstate competition. There are provisions for that in the bill. Tort reform, President Obama challenged us to do that. We have put tort reform in this bill. The bill is better for small businesses. The input from millions of Americans across the ideological spectrum has made this bill better. And I would like to thank the American people for helping to write the Democratic health care reform bill.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. If the gentlelady from North Carolina would care to enter a brief dialogue on the issue, I recall the comments earlier, and there was a reference to, the gentlelady made a reference to a fear that America would look like the developing world, especially South America.

Mr. POLIS of Colorado

Mr. POLIS of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, by creating a solar technology road map committee made up of experts representing a variety of perspectives from the private industry, the solar technology industry, from the national laboratories, one of which borders my district, the National Energies Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, from academia and from the relevant Federal, State, as well as local agencies, we can ensure that we have all the stakeholders on board with a forward- thinking strategic plan for using our Federal solar energy research, rolling out development and demonstration, and making sure that funds are spent effectively and efficiently. The road map that this bill will create is a model that's tried and true. This bill's road map is modeled on the successful National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors which has been instrumental in helping the semiconductor industry and semiconductor technology advance rapidly over the past two decades. The progress in the semiconductor industry has helped make the technology exponentially more cost competitive and has grown the industry to help establish America as the international leader in semiconductors, just as we have the opportunity to be the true international leader in solar technology. Like solar technology, the semiconductor industry at one point in time also needed focus. It needed a road map to point it in the right direction, a road map to ensure that its investments were being used wisely and efficiently, allowing us to compete with other countries. This bill will do the same for the solar industry. Mr. Speaker, the Solar Technology Roadmap Act has gained a wide variety of bipartisan support, support from institutions and organizations from many different perspectives on the energy issue. I strongly urge passage of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS of Colorado. I have no additional speakers.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York, a member of the Committee on Science and Technology, Mr. Tonko. (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Thank you. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. You alluded to other topics. I want to take this opportunity to remind our viewers that for the cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, not only could we cover every American with health care, but we would reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars over 10 years. And I know that that is a topic that many of us plan to return to as well. But I would point out, to put things in perspective, there were those on the other side of the aisle that didn't ask, didn't worry how much it would cost to invade and occupy not one, two countries; didn't ask how long it might cost to be there 10 years, 20 years, how much to increase it 40,000 troops, 60,000 troops, 80,000 troops. But there's a new-found commitment of fiscal responsibility when it comes to health care. And I am proud to say that the Democratic plan fully pays for health care reform. Not only will it fully pay for health care reform, but it will reduce the budget deficit over 10 years and help rein in growing health care costs. I think it's important to put a human face on what health care reform means for American families. I want to share with my colleagues in the House the story of Deborah Abbott Brown from Boulder, Colorado. Deborah, like a lot of Americans, lost her job about a year ago in the recession so she was faced with COBRA payments. Her COBRA payments would have been $1,800 a month to continue the health care for her family. She couldn't afford that. That was more than her mortgage payment, and at the same time she was losing her income. How could she afford $1,800 a month in COBRA payments? So she wanted to turn to--being responsible and wanting to keep her family with some kind of insurance--she turned to the individual insurance market in Colorado to try to find affordable coverage. She thought, You know, I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount and maybe we'll have some kind of high deductible or catastrophic plan. But she soon found out that her family was denied coverage on the individual market even though one of the companies she applied for was the same provider of the COBRA care that she couldn't afford. The reason is that her husband, Deborah's husband, had recently turned 50, completed his baseline colonoscopy, as was recommended by his physician, and was told that the procedure counted as a surgery and in the individual market they would not offer insurance to anybody who had a surgical procedure in the last 3 months. Deborah was shocked. How can a common medical procedure when there were no findings be the basis for denying coverage? That's when it dawned on Deborah, as it dawning on millions of Americans every day, that insurance companies work for their own profit. They unreasonably deny insurance in the individual market when they don't provide needed insurance profits. That's when Deborah became a convert and told us that's why the public option is a must. This is a routine occurrence. Families across our country-- California, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas--they want to do the right thing. She wanted to get COBRA, but for $1,800 a month, she said let's find an affordable option. Oh, your husband had a routine preventative procedure that he should have had--and it was a good thing he had from a medical perspective--came out clean but, oh, he had a surgery in the last 3 months. This is what American families are being told, and this is where we in Congress have a historic opportunity to fix and make a health care system that's good for American families. I yield back.

Mr. POLIS. People wonder why there's such passion with this issue created on both sides of the aisle. It's because this issue is an issue of life and an issue of death. One of my constituents from Boulder, Colorado, asked her name not be used for her very personal story but wanted me to share it with the people of the country and my colleagues in Congress. She tells us that she doesn't even consider her story unusual. Her sister was 62 and hadn't been able to afford health care for most of her life even though she worked as a legal secretary. Sixty years ago, her son, the niece of my constituent from Colorado, became very depressed at age 24. He was a part-time student, he didn't have access to any health care, let alone the mental care he so desperately needed. And 60 years ago on the night of July 4, he went to a park and shot and killed himself. The devastation to her sister and their entire family, as any of us know, is beyond words, beyond explanation. ``Isn't my nephew as important as any politician or rich person in this country?'' And that could be a question that any of us asks. She writes that health care is a right for all citizens, and there must be a robust public option. This could be any American family. We're talking about lives like the life of this young man with mental health parity, with access to mental health service. He first of all could have been on his parents' plan up to age 26 under our plan. If he wasn't able to participate in the parents' plan, he would of gotten affordability credits for his own plan to get insurance through the exchange, including a public option. How many lives must senselessly end like this before Congress acts? It's stories like this that continue to multiply; and until Congress takes action, we're going to have more unnecessary deaths. And that's why people get so passionate about this issue. We're talking about life and death; we're talking about people from across the entire country and what health care reform really means to them and their loved ones and their security.

Mr. POLIS. That's right. And let's say you get in one accident or one speeding ticket, you're uninsurable for the rest of your life and you can't drive. Well, these are our bodies we are talking about, not cars. And if you have one illness, one preexisting condition, you are virtually, if you try to buy insurance on your own, uninsurable for the rest of your life through no fault of your own. And that's what Gerry's son is going through at 25. Just takes an antidepressant, healthy kid, can't get insurance, pays a lot for a very basic program that isn't even comprehensive. There are tens of millions of American families like Gerry's and others that will benefit from us passing health care reform now.

Mr. POLIS. That's right. When you don't need to go somewhere, the car works fine. The minute you need to get to work, the minute you need to go somewhere to visit your family, the car doesn't work. What kind of car is that? That's a lemon.

Mr. POLIS. I will.

Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for the time. I want to share with you the story of Gerry from Boulder, Colorado. Several years ago, Gerry wanted to have an MRI on his left shoulder to determine the cause of rotator cuff pain that was becoming increasingly bothersome and disabling, but it took his insurer, Anthem Blue Cross, over a year to approve the procedure. In the meantime, he had to deal with that pain every day. Gerry also shared that when his son turned 25, he needed to have his own health care insurance policy. And his son is healthy but takes an antidepressant. As a result, the insurance companies list him, like tens of millions of other Americans, with the scarlet letter--a preexisting condition. And he has to pay over $300 a month for a basic policy for a healthy 25-year-old, and that's despite the fact that his doctor wrote to the companies indicating the condition is very stable and is not currently in treatment. Gerry's doctor now charges a membership fee so that he's able to have the ability to see less patients for longer amounts of time. He needs to have several clerical staff just to handle the insurance claims of the different companies. Each company, of course, requires different information. Gerry and his wife pay a combined $7,200 a year in health insurance premiums, and they have coverage, but they still have to pay about $10,000 a year out of pocket for prescription drugs. Gerry shares with us that our system may work when you're young and healthy, but it fails as you age and need care. What kind of health care system fails when you need health care? When you don't need health care, it works. When you need health care, it fails.

Mr. POLIS. You know what strikes me with the moving stories that my colleagues the gentlelady from Illinois has shared and the gentleman from Minnesota? You know, it doesn't matter whether you're from Texas or Minnesota or Illinois or Arizona or Colorado or New York. Kids everywhere get broken wrists. People anywhere could have a congenital heart condition. These are not the fault of the individual. These are preexisting conditions. It could happen to you. It could happen to me. It could happen to your sister, your brother, your cousin. We all want to have that there, something there in case our own family faces this kind of situation. We all want and should be demanding and can demand now, by supporting health care reform, preventing discriminating based on preexisting conditions, preventing exclusions based on preexisting conditions. The gentleman in the story that my colleague and friend from Illinois just shared with us would have access to an exchange, a low-cost option that would give him the same negotiating leverage as multinational companies with hundreds of thousands of people in buying his health care insurance, with a public option that would give him the choice and keep the competition and ensure that there was intense competition within the exchange. Depending on people's income level, up to several hundred percent of the poverty line, they will get affordability credits. For a family of four, up to $70,000 a year in income, they'll get affordability credits. And if they don't get their insurance through work, they'll be able to purchase them on their own through the exchange. It doesn't matter. Could be somebody from Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Texas, New York. These are American families we're talking about, and health care reform can help make American families stronger. I yield back to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. A friend of mine, a resident of Thornton, Colorado, but it might as well be Fresno, California, or Houston, Texas, or Mobile, Alabama, it doesn't matter, Lynn Zimmerman of Thornton shared her story with me. She wants to see a public health care option similar to Medicare in this country. Two of her sons are working for minimum-wage jobs currently, and they can't afford health care insurance. Those in their community that earn between $1,000 to $1,200 a month can barely pay rent and car insurance, barely put food on the table. How can they expect to pay for health care on top of that, which they frequently, in the case of her two children, don't receive through their job? Their employers don't offer a health care package, and they are no longer college students so they can't be on Lynn's plan. Lynn is a teacher, and a darn good one. But she shared with me that her health care plan has gotten so expensive that it is an issue every time the teachers union goes through negotiations with the district. The district can't afford health care coverage for their employees. In order to afford the health care coverage, teachers have been taking pay cuts for a decade. They still get a nominal pay raise, but the portion of the health care plan has been raised more each time they negotiate, and their take-home pay has been cut. Lynn tells us that the current insurance programs spend too much time and money trying to deny payment for procedures that are covered under their health care plan. Lynn suggests, and with a tremendous amount of common sense, why don't we get rid of the people pushing papers and denying coverage, the very people that are driving costs in our system? That speaks to the critical reason of having a public option as an alternative, to provide real competition for insurance companies, so insurance companies with exorbitant CEO pay, insurance companies that spend the money that we pay them with our premiums hiring people to deny the very claims that we retain them to pay out on, will be held competitive and forced to be competitive to retain their customers. Having a public option which is revenue neutral--they will have only the premiums that we allocate to them to pay out in claims--will help keep the insurance companies honest in their competition as a critical component of health care reform. Lynn finally implores Congress to act now and make good on our promise to the American people to improve the access and quality of health care so that Lynn's sons can have access to an exchange, a low- cost option that gives them buying insurance as individuals the same negotiating leverage as a multinational corporation with 100,000 people, that gives her sons affordability credits, for an individual up to about $42,000 a year. Her sons making $12,000 to $15,000 a year will get affordability credits that will pay for almost all of the cost of insurance through the exchange. What a transformative difference health care reform will make in the lives of the Zimmerman family and in the lives of millions of other American families like the Zimmerman family that are the backbone of America. I yield back to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. I rise to share stories of real people that highlight the urgent need for health care reform. Eileen Fink of Colorado Springs is what we might think of as a soccer mom. Her kids, she told me, have a reputation for being involved in sports. They are a healthy and athletic family, but they, like many American families, lost their health care insurance. They encourage their kids to power on, play sports, have fun, live a normal and happy childhood. No one in their family was reckless, but they had a bad year when they racked up several orthopedic injuries in a short time with no insurance. This could happen to any family. Their daughter racked up over $10,000 in bills after a fall that required reconstructive surgery and steel rods in her bones. Their other daughter fell ice skating, broke her wrist. That was a $3,000 bill. Finally, their 14-year-old son broke his wrist, and feeling sorry for the family's financial predicament, he hid that for 9 days; he didn't tell his parents that his wrist was in pain or what he was suffering from. One night he finally said, Mom, I think I broke my wrist a while back, but I didn't want to make you cry about the bills. It turned out it was broken on a growth plate. The police came to question Eileen about the delay in treatment. Ultimately, it was her son who tried to protect his own family from the bills, hence the delay in treatment. What does that teach him about access to health care? Eileen feels terrible that her son suffered so long trying to save the family financially. Eileen asked us in Congress to help hardworking families like hers. And she added that, by the way, my husband is Republican, but sees this as an important issue, too. Families are bipartisan, families are nonpartisan. Whether they're registered to vote, whether they vote, whether they're Republican, when they're independent, whether they're green, whether they're libertarian, whether they're Democrat, what kind of system forces a 14- year-old kid not to tell his parents that he's hurt because he's worried about his mother crying because they can't afford the treatment? Under health care reform now before Congress, families like the Fink family would have the option of getting insurance through the exchange, a low-cost option that people who are self-employed or work for small businesses would have that would give them the same negotiating power and leverage as multinational corporations. Families like the Finks would also receive affordability credits and have the guarantee that they would have no more than $10,000 out of pocket in medical expenses each year, preventing them from bankruptcy and from having to worry and having to worry their children about the cost of medical care. It is urgent that this United States Congress keep families like the Finks in mind, soccer moms and soccer dads across the country, any of whom could be affected by the breakdown and the failures of our current medical system. It's for families like the Finks that I call upon my colleagues in the United States Congress to pass health care reform and send it to President Obama's desk before the end of the year. Thank you. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. POLIS. No. Who the heck would support it? So what we're talking about supporting is making health care more affordable for American families. That's what we're talking about doing here. I yield back.

Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota, and I thank you for your ongoing leadership and for fighting for working families and for fighting to make America stronger. You know, there are a lot of slogans that are tossed out. What's in this bill, if you look at it, is not the government takeover of health care. There are not government-employed doctors or government-run hospitals. There are no death panels. Who would support that? I wouldn't support that. Would you, Ms. Jackson-Lee?

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Sometimes there is common sense that we share across the aisle. I have said from the start, I think this surtax is a bad idea. To explain it, there is a set tax structure for those of us who haven't--and I have run small businesses, created over several hundred jobs. There is C corps, S corps, and LLCs. When we are talking about increasing this rate, this is the rate that affects S corps and LLCs. Those tend to be the small to midsize businesses, the backbone of America, a lot of family businesses, a lot of stores. I talked to a brewery in my town, those are the types of businesses that we are talking about. The big corporations pay a tax rate of 35 percent. That is the corporate income tax rate. Currently, the marginal rate for these S corps and LLCs is also that same 35 percent. Now it's scheduled to go up, that rate for S corps and LLCs anyway, because the Bush tax cuts are set to expire. Now, I support that. I expect that you might oppose that, but that will raise it to 39.6 percent. It is that very same rate that this surcharge is scheduled to impact that would increase it at the margins an additional 5 percent. It would actually go up to 44.6 percent. In many States, that means that small businesses would be taxed at above 50 percent. Now, I am hopeful that in the final version they will make some adjustments to that surtax. I sure hope they do. But I think it's an excellent point to bring up to show this disparity between what large businesses and corporations are paying, 35 percent, and what our family-owned businesses and small businesses are paying, which could, under the taxation mechanism, be a higher one. Now, there are several ways to address that. We could, of course, reduce the cost of the bill, and I hope that that's a path that my party takes. There also are alternative payment mechanisms out there, some of which have been discussed in the Senate, some of which have more bipartisan support. I think it's critical, particularly in a recession, but at any time, that we make sure that however we pay for health care is not harmful to small business, which is the goose that laid the golden egg and the job engine that will lead us out of this recession.