Madam Speaker, I’d like to take a minute to talk about a family from Rhode Island. 

Barbara, from Cranston, is a devoted mother of two remarkable boys, one of whom has hemophilia.  A three month supply of his life sustaining medication costs $60,000, never mind the costs of doctor’s visits or hospitalizations.  She came to my office to advocate for her son, casting little attention on her own condition – Multiple Sclerosis.  Despite her challenges, she knows she is one of the lucky ones because she has insurance coverage, but without health care reform, she is forever held hostage by insurance companies’ lifetime caps and barriers on preexisting conditions. 

There are countless families, like Barbara’s, who are struggling to afford or keep the coverage they have.  It’s time to pass health insurance reform.