Floor SpeechNeutral2024-12-10

AMERICA NEEDS MEDICARE FOR ALL

HealthcareTaxesTechnology

Context

On 2024-12-10, Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) delivered a floor speech titled "AMERICA NEEDS MEDICARE FOR ALL" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered taxes, technology.

Full Text

AMERICA NEEDS MEDICARE FOR ALL

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)] [House] [Page H6546] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AMERICA NEEDS MEDICARE FOR ALL The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna) for 5 minutes. Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, across our land, there is outrage at private health insurance companies that are denying claims: denying claims for heart disease, denying claims for cancer, denying claims for diabetes. Mr. Speaker, the average cancer patient in America will lose their entire life savings in 2 years. Forty-two percent of Americans who have cancer lose their life savings in 2 years. Mr. Speaker, 18 percent of Americans have had their healthcare claims denied, over 3.4 million Americans. On a very small matter, I had my healthcare claim denied by UnitedHealthcare when I wanted to get a $100 nasal pump for allergies. Back it came: denied. I couldn't get that reversed. Imagine people with more serious problems. One of the people in my district, Sarah Broughton, died of a sinus infection because her health insurance companies denied her claims for basic healthcare. As Americans face denial after denial after denial, what is happening with these private insurance companies? Let me tell you: $1.4 trillion in revenue, $70 billion in profits for the top seven private insurance companies. They say, oh, it is only 5 percent profit, but it is $1.4 trillion sucked out of our economy while basic Americans are denied healthcare. What is this money going to? It is going to administrative costs. It is going to advertising. It is going to bloated executive pay salaries while we can't give people treatment for cancer, for diabetes, for basic health issues. The American people are outraged, and they are rising up across our country, demanding fundamental change to a broken healthcare system. Enough. Here are three things that we could do: First, if a doctor prescribes a medicine, the private insurance company must cover it if Medicare covers it. That is common sense. Second, let us cap out-of-pocket costs so you don't have someone who has cancer depleting their entire life savings. Cap those costs at $2,000 a year. Third, let us make sure that these private insurance companies can't rely on AI to have AI-generated algorithms that deny claims. No AI used to deny Americans' claims. Really, what we need, Mr. Speaker, is what so many other democracies have. We need Medicare for All. The reality is, the average American is paying more than $6,000 a year on healthcare costs, and those premiums are up 7 percent from last year. We are not going to get those premiums down. We are not going to get those healthcare costs down unless we have Medicare for All. When we have Medicare for All, we will have 2 percent administrative fees. Medicare will be able to negotiate with the hospitals and the pharmaceutical companies to lower costs for all Americans and provide care. Guess what. If we have Medicare for All, every doctor and every hospital will be in network. No more of these denied claims that are bankrupting Americans and taking people's lives. Mr. Speaker, I represent a district in Silicon Valley that has $12 trillion of value: Apple, Google, Nvidia, Tesla. We are producing more wealth in my ZIP Code than anyplace in human history. How is it that in the wealthiest nation in the world when we are producing more wealth than ever before, Americans can't get basic healthcare? Healthcare is a human right. We have the money to make sure every American is covered and not denied. It is time for change. It is time to hold private health insurance companies accountable. It is time to fight and pass Medicare for All. ____________________

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AMERICA NEEDS MEDICARE FOR ALL Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)] [House] [Page H6546] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AMERICA NEEDS MEDICARE FOR ALL The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna) for 5 minutes. Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, across our land, there is outrage at private health insurance companies that are denying claims: denying claims for heart disease, denying claims for cancer, denying claims for diabetes. Mr. Speaker, the average cancer patient in America will lose their entire life savings in 2 years. Forty-two percent of Americans who have cancer lose their life savings in 2 years. Mr. Speaker, 18 percent of Americans have had their healthcare claims denied, over 3.4 million Americans. On a very small matter, I had my healthcare claim denied by UnitedHealthcare when I wanted to get a $100 nasal pump for allergies. Back it came: denied. I couldn't get that reversed. Imagine people with more serious problems. One of the people in my district, Sarah Broughton, died of a sinus infection because her health insurance companies denied her claims for basic healthcare. As Americans face denial after denial after denial, what is happening with these private insurance companies? Let me tell you: $1.4 trillion in revenue, $70 billion in profits for the top seven private insurance companies. They say, oh, it is only 5 percent profit, but it is $1.4 trillion sucked out of our economy while basic Americans are denied healthcare. What is this money going to? It is going to administrative costs. It is going to advertising. It is going to bloated executive pay salaries while we can't give people treatment for cancer, for diabetes, for basic health issues. The American people are outraged, and they are rising up across our country, demanding fundamental change to a broken healthcare system. Enough. Here are three things that we could do: First, if a doctor prescribes a medicine, the private insurance company must cover it if Medicare covers it. That is common sense. Second, let us cap out-of-pocket costs so you don't have someone who has cancer depleting their entire life savings. Cap those costs at $2,000 a year. Third, let us make sure that these private insurance companies can't rely on AI to have AI-generated algorithms that deny claims. No AI used to deny Americans' claims. Really, what we need, Mr. Speaker, is what so many other democracies have. We need Medicare for All. The reality is, the average American is paying more than $6,000 a year on healthcare costs, and those premiums are up 7 percent from last year. We are not going to get those premiums down. We are not going to get those healthcare costs down unless we have Medicare for All. When we have Medicare for All, we will have 2 percent administrative fees. Medicare will be able to negotiate with the hospitals and the pharmaceutical companies to lower costs for all Americans and provide care. Guess what. If we have Medicare for All, every doctor and every hospital will be in network. No more of these denied claims that are bankrupting Americans and taking people's lives. Mr. Speaker, I represent a district in Silicon Valley that has $12 trillion of value: Apple, Google, Nvidia, Tesla. We are producing more wealth in my ZIP Code than anyplace in human history. How is it that in the wealthiest nation in the world when we are producing more wealth than ever before, Americans can't get basic healthcare? Healthcare is a human right. We have the money to make sure every American is covered and not denied. It is time for change. It is time to hold private health insurance companies accountable. It is time to fight and pass Medicare for All. ____________________