House Proceeding 10-22-09 on Oct 22nd, 2009 :: 2:24:25 to 2:30:35
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2:24:21 to 2:24:42( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: illinois is ready to hand it to the folks. let me yield to the gentlelady and th coming. jan schakowsky, i yield to the gentlelady from illinois. ms. schakowsky: thank you so much, mr. ellison i was watching this wonderful special order on television. i wanted to share a couple of stories that i have had both from my district and from

2:24:25 to 2:30:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Janice D. Schakowsky

2:24:43 to 2:25:03( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: testimony we recently had at a committee hearing. i wanted to tell you about one of my constituents, marie, who owns a candy store in will met, illinois, after she and her husband were denied coverage, they were finally able to find a policy that will cost them $1,700 each month in premium and

2:25:04 to 2:25:24( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: out-of-pocket costs. how many small business entrepreneurs can afford that particularly in today's economy? or take jim kelly of glen view, illinois, who works for a small business that can't afford to provide coverage to its workers. jim and his wife are forced to take in his words, a risk. we are paying cash for our

2:25:25 to 2:25:45( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: medication and hoping that nothing major happens until we are eligible for medicare. americans shouldn't be be asked to gamble their lives and i think it's time for a solution. then in committee we heard fro a man named, let's see, his name

2:25:46 to 2:26:06( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: is bruce, this was a panel of small business owners and he said, you should know that i am g impaired, migrae suering, die netic cancer survivor who is also the father of a cancer survi widower of a cancer victim. so i have experienced more than my fair share of the american

2:26:07 to 2:26:27( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: health care system. i add to say the least. but he was talking about some -- it wasn't whining, believe me. here's a very brave guy. he wanted to share some of his frustrations. he said health care and health coverage inflation is small business enemy number one. my company pays0% of employee premiums and 50% of dependent

2:26:28 to 2:26:49( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: premiums, that's higher than typical firms like ours, but it helps us attract and retain good people. it also leaves us with a painful choice. either the cost of health care coverage cuts into our profits or if we pass it along to our customers, it renders us expensive. then he gives us an example of something that happened to him.

2:26:50 to 2:27:11( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: my late wife, he says, pamela, who was also my business partner, said she was covered by our company's health insurance. in the last year of her life, the bill charges for pam's cancer care totaled $300,000. a few months before her death, our health insurance renewal came up, quoted increase for the health insurance portion of our

2:27:12 to 2:27:34( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: benefits plan, just the increase, was a whopping 28%. that would have been devastating to our business and our partner -- employees. when pam died, just shy of the actual renewal date, i had our rates requoted. with pam out of the mix, the increase for the very same health insurance coverage was

2:27:35 to 2:27:55( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: just 10%, a 28% increase reduced to 10% because of one person in need of care. and that's the kind of thing that small businesses are facing . the underwriting is based on maybe five, 10, 15 employees. i wonder what an employer thinks when somebody perhaps with an

2:27:56 to 2:28:17( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: obvious disability walks in? they've got to be thinking, can i afford to hire this and that's not right in the united states of america. i've got another one but i'll yield to you to tell us your story. ok. let me tell you about nick, then.

2:28:18 to 2:28:39( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: he owns a small business and he's been an owner for over 30 years. and one of the perks he offers, ail quote him, i offer the company is group health insurance for those employees who desire coverage. the cost is on a 50-50 basis and those costs keep going up. he says the rates for employees have been rising

2:28:40 to 2:29:00( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: in order to keep them down, our deductible has been rising instead. ou are now around $400 for an individual, $800 per family. the deductible is $8,000 for an individual policy and $16,000 for a family plan. the mufflerp shop he owns pays for half the deductible with the plan we have now.

2:29:01 to 2:29:23( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: which is a lot of money. he says, last year we had deductibles of $4,000 for an individual, and 8,000 for the family. two years ago it $2,000 for an individual, $4,000 for family. and then he says, i expect it to the monthly rate going up by $500.

2:29:24 to 2:29:45( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: how can this be be, you may ask? it is because one employee was born with a congenital heart disease. he visits a specialist twice a year. a routine visit may cost from $1,200 to $1,500. any specialized tests will run $10,000 and up. the employee condition that is myself. this is the business owner.

2:29:46 to 2:30:07( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: the only way i see to keep our monthly rates and deductibilities reasonable is by removing myself from the company policy. i will not be able to get health insurance anywhere else as i turn down our company group plan that's available to me. i ask you what options have? pay for my own medical costs, in which case i would be forced to

2:30:08 to 2:30:28( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: sell the base, quit going to doctors, including the congenital heart maybe move to canada which has a national health plan and ultimately being forced to sell my business? .

2:30:29 to 2:30:35( Edit History Discussion )

Janice D. Schakowsky: are these the choices we should give anyone in our country? i think i'll move to canada in order to get covered?