Transportation, Housing And Urban Development, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 - Conference Report - Resumed

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, working families are struggling to pay the costs of health care in this country. As the debate over health care reform progresses, we must keep in mind that Americans need and deserve quality, affordable health care. All too often families learn that the plan they could afford was not adequate when they needed it most.

I recently heard from Cory and Erin in Lake Herman, SD. They shared the story of their daughter's birth and how they discovered the inadequacies of their seemingly affordable health insurance policy. When Cory and Erin's daughter Katarzyna was born in 2006, Cory was working as an English and math teacher. At the time, the family health insurance plan available to him through the school district cost nearly 50 percent of his monthly salary. Cory chose instead to buy a catastrophic, high-deductible policy on the individual market for just over 10 percent of his income. Cory and Erin were healthy adults and had no major medical issues until the birth of their daughter. Their insurance policy did not cover prenatal or maternity care.

Wanting to be smart health care consumers, Cory and Erin shopped around for the best and most affordable hospital to welcome the birth of their first child and decided on their nearby community hospitial. However, when Katarzyna was born, she had a lung infection that required immediate action. Exhausted and worried for the health of their new baby girl, Cory and Erin had only moments to decide whether to airlift Katarzyna to a hospital with specialized care. At that moment, the last thing they could think about was the cost.

Katarzyna spent 3 nights in the Natal Intensive Care Unit of one of the State's largest hospitals, where she received top-notch care and survived the near-fatal pneumonia. The total cost came to $24,000, of which Cory and Erin's high-deductible insurance policy covered only $12,000. For the next several months, the family faced not only the challenges of a new baby but significant debt and a drawn-out struggle with their insurance company. They found a mistake with nearly every bill they received. Since this experience, Cory and Erin have purchased a new policy but worry that the insurance they can afford is not adequate in the face of another unforeseen medical emergency.

Like many Americans, Cory and Erin have health insurance. Despite their limited income, they took the responsibility to buy their own policy and tried to be smart health care consumers. Their experience, however, illustrates the vulnerability of Americans who purchase insurance on the individual market, as well as the limits to which it is possible for Americans to be informed health care consumers.

The health care market does not function like other consumer markets. Ask your neighbor what a gallon of milk costs and they could tell you. Ask them how much it costs to have a baby and you would likely get a variety of answers, based entirely on their own experience with this important life event. The fact is the cost of having a baby depends. It depends on how much you pay for health insurance, what your insurance policy will cover and how much of that cost is your share. It depends on where you live, what complications may arise and whether the hospital nearby is equipped to handle an emergency.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will guarantee families access to affordable health insurance and coverage for essential benefits, including prenatal and maternity care. New health insurance exchanges in every State will provide a menu of quality, affordable health insurance plans for the self-employed and those who can't afford the coverage offered by their employer. Families who need assistance will be eligible for tax credits to make the plan of their choice affordable. Most importantly, families like Cory, Erin and Katarzyna's will have health insurance that covers life's essential needs. The birth of a child should not be a time to worry about what your health insurance will pay for or whether you can afford the treatment you need. Health care reform will give American families one less thing to worry about with the security of quality, affordable health care.

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