Kendrick Meek's Statement on Tonight's Health Insurance Reform Vote

U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek released the following statement regarding tonight's vote on health insurance reform.

"The journey we took was long and complicated, but the hours of debate and numerous town hall meetings allowed us to arrive at this historic moment.

"Speaker Rubio, just like the Republican leadership in Washington, embraces a strategy of 'No,' an approach of delay tactics and denials of the healthcare crisis that is affecting millions of Floridians. He has sworn to do everything he can to repeal health insurance reform. That means we could lose our best chance to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions and to close the Medicare prescription drug coverage 'donut hole.'

"Governor Crist isn't any better. He's against the current plan and his 'Cover Florida' alternative - the statewide initiative that claims to offer low-cost insurance - signed up fewer Floridians in its first five months than the number of people who lose their insurance every week in our state. That's not reform.

"We've waited for too long and have started over too often - now is a moment for action to stand on the right side of history," said Kendrick Meek, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.