I'll end with a quote from JohnConyers,head of the House Judiciary Committee who I feared would not support the bill, right after it was passed. He certainly wanted more than what was called a diluted form of the public option. The press release is titled House Health Care Bill Will Save Lives While Fight for Single Payer Continues:
"Today, I joined my Democratic colleagues in support of the Affordable Healthcare for America Act.While the bill is far from perfect, I supported it because it will expand access to health insurance to 96 percent of Americans, end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, help our seniors by closing the prescription drug benefit donut hole, and increase competition and choice with a public insurance option.
In the near term, these reforms will improve and save American lives while we continue to fight for single payer health care at the state and national levels. I will vote for this bill because the cost of inaction is too high.Each year, 44,000 people die because they do not have access to insurance. Without reform, this number will rise, Americans will be at greater risk of losing their coverage, and our business community will continue to fall behind international competitors as their future profits are drained by burdensome health care costs."
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