Speaker Pelosi on Childrens Health Insurance

Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
“I’m reminded of the Bible tonight, and I speak with all of the sincerity and all of the hope to President Bush in the hope that he will change his mind. To dig deeply into his heart and think about the children in America who don’t have healthcare. Because if not, I think that the President is giving new meaning to the words, ’suffer, little children.’ Suffer, little children, if your parents can’t afford health insurance. But they’re working hard and they’re not on Medicaid, but you will suffer because they’re struggling to give you the best possible future. Suffer, little children if your family has played by the rules and they’ve come to this country and you are here as a legal immigrant, because if you are sick, you will not get healthcare unless your parents can afford private insurance. Suffer, little children if you are sick, because you haven’t had the proper nutrition, the proper prevention, the proper early intervention to your affliction, and you should go directly to the emergency room. But until you can get into that emergency room with enough of a serious illness, you will suffer. That’s just not right.”