Congressman John Garamendi: The Most Important Vote I Have Ever Cast

[ProSense]

The Most Important Vote I Have Ever Cast

by JohnGaramendiCA

I have had one of those weeks that you remember for the rest of your life. On Tuesday, I won a congressional election. On Thursday, I was sworn in by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and got to cast the first vote of my congressional career: a resolution honoring female veterans and military personnel. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to cast the most important vote of my 34 years in public service.

The health care reform bill that cleared the House yesterday, if approved by the Senate, will transform this country’s health care delivery system. Denial of treatment for pre-existing conditions will be a thing of the past. None of us will have to worry that if we fail to report the chicken pox, we’ll be denied treatment from our insurers for cancer. Out-of-pocket expenses will be capped and subsidies and tax breaks will be made available to consumers and small businesses.

This combined with the reduction in administrative overhead costs, the savings associated with an emphasis on preventative medicine, and other measures will provide us as individual consumers and as a nation with substantial long term cost savings. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the health care reform bill will cut the deficit by over $30 billion over the next decade and will continue to create a surplus over the next 20 years.

Yesterday’s plan also includes a public option that, while not as expansive I would have liked, is still very worthy of support. And as most of you are well aware, we had an unfortunate setback for women’s health in yesterday’s voting. But on the whole, this is change we can believe in.

When I was California’s Insurance Commissioner, my staff fielded thousands of calls from California residents who fell victim to the insurance industry shenanigans. When large fires hit San Diego, Oakland, and elsewhere, hundreds of consumers were victimized a second time by their insurance companies. My capable staff was successful at coming to a consumer-friendly resolution for almost all cases, but at times, I had to personally ring up high ranking industry executives to use all forms of persuasion available to my office to make sure my constituents were treated fairly.

more

Thank you Congressman Garamendi.

[tabatha]

1. Yes,thank you Congressman Garamendi!

It could not be said better:

"When one’s business model depends on collecting monthly payments from people in the hope that you’ll never have to provide them with the services they are paying you for, it’s disappointing but not shocking that the insurance industry looks for loopholes to maximize its profits.

It is from this motivation that we get babies denied health insurance because they’re "too fat" and women kicked off their insurance after requesting payment for emergency gallbladder surgery because their husbands failed to report high cholesterol. That’s why government intervention is sometimes necessary, to make sure the invisible hand of the market doesn’t become a closed fist."

[demosincebirth]

2. He did a good job as our Insurance Commissioner, here in Ca.

[Cha]

3. Yes, thank you, new Congressmant Garamendi!

Wonder how Congressman Bill Owens voted?

[Cha]

4. I just looked it up..Bill Owens voted

YES! That's two Dems who just got in in time to vote Yes on the historic Health Bill!

Two Dems who were elected bc President Obama appointed the people who vacated their Seats to positions in his admin.

We needed those two thanks to people like Dennis Kuncinich.

[Roosesvelte]

5. It's Nice To See People Realize The Significance

This is very real history. Obama will be remembered as being one of the great ones.