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Grayson Offers Medicare Buy-In, Makes Impassioned Speech

When Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) first became a father, his health insurance company refused to pay for the birth of the child, and Grayson had to pay $10,000.

Grayson told the House that story Tuesday during an impassioned and personal speech urging fellow lawmakers to support legislation that would allow Americans to buy into Medicare. Grayson introduced a four-page bill Tuesday that would make that a possibility. He asked would-be opponents to grant Americans the option to buy into the same health care plan that the federal government already offers.

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Grayson: Isn't it time that we finally did something good for America? Isn't it time that we gave all Americans the right to buy into a public plan like this? Isn't it in fact past time that we did something like that and what's the harm? I say to those people on the other side of the aisle, if you don't want to buy into the public option, that's fine. But don't prevent me and my family and the ones who I love from doing the same. Let us have our alternative. And remember, remember what you said so many times before. You say the government can't do anything right. Well let's see. Let's see right now. Let's let people buy into the public option, this bill.

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A BILL to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an option for any citizen or permanent resident of the United States to buy into Medicare.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Option Act’’
5 or the ‘‘Medicare You Can Buy Into Act’’.

1 SEC. 2. UNIVERSAL MEDICARE BUY-IN OPTION. (a) IN GEN
2 ERAL.—Part A of title XVIII of the Social Security
3 Act is amended—
4 (1) in section 1818(a), by striking ‘‘or 1818A’’
5 and inserting ‘‘, 1818A, or 1818B’’; and
6 (2) by inserting after section 1818A the fol
7 lowing new section:
8 ‘‘UNIVERSAL BUY-IN
9 ‘‘SEC. 1818B.
10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(a) Every individual who—
11 ‘‘(1) is a resident of the United States;
12 ‘‘(2) is either (A) a citizen or national of the
13 United States, or (B) an alien lawfully admitted for
14 permanent residence; and
15 ‘‘(3) is not otherwise entitled to benefits under
16 this part or eligible to enroll under this part;
17 shall be eligible to enroll in the insurance program estab
18 lished by this part. An individual may enroll under this
19 section only in such manner and form as may be pre
20 scribed in regulations, and only during an enrollment pe
21 riod prescribed in or under this section.
22 ‘‘(b) ENROLLMENT; COVERAGE.—The Secretary shall
23 establish enrollment periods and coverage under this sec
24 tion consistent with the principles for establishment of en
25 rollment periods and coverage for individuals under sec
26 tion 1818, except that no entitlement to benefits under

1 this part shall be effective before the first day of the first
2 calendar year beginning after the date of the enactment
3 of this Act.
4 ‘‘(c) PREMIUMS.—
5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The provisions of sub
6 sections (d)(1), (d)(2), and (d)(3) of section 1818
7 insofar as they apply to premiums (including collec
8 tion of premiums) shall apply to premiums and col
9 lection of premiums under this section, except
10 that—
11 ‘‘(A) paragraphs (4) and (5) of section
12 1818 shall not be applicable; and
13 ‘‘(B) the estimate of the monthly actuarial
14 rate under section 1818(d) shall be computed
15 and applied under this paragraph based upon
16 costs incurred for individuals within each age
17 cohort specified in paragraph (2) rather than
18 for all individuals age 65 and older.
19 ‘‘(2) AGE COHORTS.—The age cohorts specified
20 in this paragraph are as follows:
21 ‘‘(A) Individuals under 19 years of age.
22 ‘‘(B) Individuals at least 19 years of age
23 but not more than 25 years of age.
24 ‘‘(C) Individuals at least 26 years of age
25 and not more than 35 years of age.

1 ‘‘(D) Individuals at least 36 years of age
2 and not more than 45 years of age.
3 ‘‘(E) Individuals at least 46 years of age
4 and not more than 55 years of age.
5 ‘‘(F) Individuals at least 56 years of age
6 and not more than 64 years of age.
7 ‘‘(d) TREATMENT.—An individual enrolled under this
8 part pursuant to this section shall not be treated as en
9 rolled under this part (or any other part of this title) for
10 purposes of obtaining medical assistance for medicare
11 cost-sharing or otherwise under title XIX.’’.

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The House Republicans tried, and failed, to squelch a speech by Congressman Alan Grayson on health care last night.

Congressman Grayson had reserved an hour on the Floor of the House for a “special order” on health care. When the hour began, Congressman Grayson noted that a Harvard study had concluded that 44,789 Americans die each year because they have no health insurance. He also noted that the Urban Institute had released figures on the number of uninsured in each Congressional district. Observing that every single House Republican had pledged to block health coverage for the insured, he then did the math:

“Alabama District 1, Congressman Jo Bonner, 114 dead.”

“Alabama District 3, Congressman Mike Rogers, 88 dead.”

Grayson continued for 23 minutes, from Alabama to Ohio. Then the Republicans demanded that Grayson “yield”. Grayson said no: “my time is limited, and I intend to use it.” Flustered, the Republicans then asked that Grayson’s “words be taken down.” They threatened to call a roll-call vote, at 8 p.m., on whether Grayson should be sanctioned. This halted the proceedings.

The House staff informed the Republicans that Rep. Grayson had violated no rule of the House. The Republicans then insisted on reviewing a recording of Grayson’s speech, going through it with a fine-tooth comb to see if there was anything objectionable. They found nothing. Then they asked to “ring the bells” before the proceedings resumed, wasting another 15 minutes. Finally, after an hour of Republican stalling, Grayson finished the list:

“Wyoming, Congressman Cynthia Lummis, 73 dead.”

For the remainder of his hour, Grayson then read real-life stories from the website namesofthedead.com. These are submitted by people who lost loved ones because they had no health insurance.

Asked to comment, Rep. Grayson said: “They used to call President Harry Truman ‘Give ‘em Hell Harry’. But President Truman said, ‘I don’t give them hell; I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.’ I’m telling the Republicans this: Lives are at stake. If you can’t stand the heat on health care, then get out of the kitchen.”

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