House Proceeding on May 12th, 2009 :: 0:15:55 to 0:20:20
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0:15:51 to 0:16:11( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: policies of the republican administration just left town. mr. speaker, as we consider the american clean energy and security act we must ensure that we ll make polluters pay and use the revenue to invest in job creation here at home and give climate rebate to all americans. i yield back the balance of my

0:15:55 to 0:20:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Rosa L. DeLauro

0:16:12 to 0:16:32( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. . for what purpose does the gentlewoman from connecticut rise? ms. delauro: to address the

0:16:33 to 0:16:53( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized for five minutes. ms. delauro: we must give them the tools to make informed choices about that coverage, to make sure they will truly provide adequate protection in case they ever get sick. we have all heard stories, sometimes tragic stories about americans who thought their health care coverage was

0:16:54 to 0:17:14( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: comprehensive. only to realize that it had huge gaps once they actually got sick. take the story of jim stacy from fayetteville, north carolina. in 2000, mr. stacy and his wife bought a plan with a lifetime maximum payout of up to $1 million per person.

0:17:15 to 0:17:35( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: then he learned he had prostat cancer, but the policy paid only $1,480 of the more than $17,000 in treatment cost. the simple fact is that right now what you see is not what you get. as a customer trying to decide on a health care plan.

0:17:36 to 0:17:58( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: according to one recent study from georgetown university, health insurance plans that looks similar upfront with similar co-pays, deductibles d so-called out-of-pocket limits can actually result in drastically different out-of-pocket expenses at the end of the day. and yet because that information is buried in legal

0:17:59 to 0:18:20( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: lease or simply left out algether, the consumer cannot tell the difference before it is too late. mr. speaker, when we buy cars, computers, even cereal, we know what we are getting and how much it will cost and yet when it comes to purchasing health care coverage today families are too often kept in the dark

0:18:21 to 0:18:42( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: about what kind of care their plan covers or what out-of-pocket costs they may face. in the case of a serious illness. health insurance is one of the most expensive products americans buy. consumers and employers pay on average over $12,000 for it every single year.

0:18:43 to 0:19:03( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: and yet we still expect them to make critical decisions about their healy well-being without all of the information they need. it is all laid out right on the sticker. yet when it comes to health insurance, the most important

0:19:04 to 0:19:25( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: information is simply not there. and in a system where costs continue to skyrocket, the consequences have been devastating, bad coverage, hidd exclusions can bankrupt people. 61% of working-age adults who had problems paying medical bills or were paying off medical debt in 2007 actually had health

0:19:26 to 0:19:47( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: insure -- insurance at the time the care was provided. that's why i plan to introduce this act to promote transparency in coverage and provide crucial data to consumers and health care providers. the concern cancer society, cancer action network, amecan heart association, families u.s.a., the campaign for america's future endorsed this legislation to promote consistent information

0:19:48 to 0:20:08( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: standards, provide long overdue data, and resources for consumers, even create a new office of health insurance oversight within the department of health and human services to administer accountability and transparency initiatives in coordination with state insurance regulators. it is a simple idea that better information makes better consumers.

0:20:09 to 0:20:21( Edit History Discussion )

Rosa L. DeLauro: and in the endealthier families as well. that is what the informed consumer choices in health care act is all about. and i hope you will join me in empowering consumers to make the right choices for themselves and