Come back here to try to make a difference. I want to congratulate you on the difference you have made. Now one of the questions i would ask you is why youre willing to leave a place with so much responsibility and background and capability to be willing to be the secretary of health and Human Services. Thank you, senator. When i think about the mission of the department of health and Human Services, which is to improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of the American People, its what ive literally spent my life trying to do. And so to have the opportunity to participate if confirmed, to be to serve as the secretary of health and Human Services and to try to guide that organization in a direction that would further fulfill that mission, i cant think of anything more exciting for fulfilling. I think you have the background for doing that too,
with the wide range of experience you had between the different practices and hospitals and then coming here and going through a number of Differ
they re paying their premiums and had coverage, but they didn t have protections that only came with the passage of the legislation. we know that somewhere between 11 and 12 million people have purchased health insurance through the individual marketplace. i want to ask you a couple of questions about those basic protections that are now law that were not law before. i think you would agree with me, and you know from your practice, that you meet remarkably inspiring people in your work, once in a while in the senate we do as well, we probably don t take enough time to have those opportunities. one of the people i met in the lead-up to the legislation passing was stacy ritter from manheim, pennsylvania. she didn t have a personal challenge, it was the challenge faced by her two daughters. they were 4 years old, madeleine and hannah. as she said, as stacy said about
paying their premiums and that coverage for it but they didn t have protections that only came with the passage of the legislation. we know that somewhere between 11 and 12 million people have purchased health insurance through the individual marketplace. and so i want to ask you a couple of questions about those basic protections. that are now law, that were not allowed before. i think you d agree with me, and you know from your practice, that you meet remarkably inspiring people in your work, and once in a while, here in the senate, we do as well. probably don t take enough time to have those opportunities. but one of the people i met in the lead up to the legislation passing was stacy ritter from manheim, pennsylvania. she didn t have a personal challenge, it was the challenge faced by her two daughters, they were four years old, madeline and hannah. and as she said, as stacy said about her daughters, she said