I would like to thank U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper for her vote for health care reform. It takes courage to vote for progressive reform in today's polarized political climate.

Also, I would like to thank House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her leadership. In the past year, she has been responsible for passage of just about every major piece of legislation that has been introduced in that chamber, not just health care.

Our economy had a major increase in jobs in March. Where would our economy be today if we had followed the Republican policy of doing nothing?

Dahlkemper was the author of one of my favorite reforms in the health care legislation. Young people now can remain on their parents' policy until they are 26.

There are a number of reforms, including Dahlkemper's, that begin this year. Insurers may not deny coverage to children because of pre-existing health problems. A high-risk health insurance pool will be established for adults with pre-existing health problems. Insurance companies are barred from putting lifetime dollar limits on coverage or canceling policies, except for fraud. Next year those in the Medicare prescription coverage gap "doughnut hole" can get a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs.

I believe that this law will help reduce the number of people who die each year because they lack insurance and can't get treatment. Also, we can begin to reduce the number of people who go bankrupt each year due to medical bills. This is about 700,000 a year.

Republicans have attacked the financial effects of this law. However, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that over the next 10 years, the revenue sources of the new law will produce a $143 billion surplus.

Regardless of the exact figures, Democrats are trying to pay for their reforms. This contrasts with the almost $6 trillion deficit run up by the George W. Bush administration.

This is not a radical law. Even the conservative Heritage Foundation supported universal health care coverage in the 1990s.

You might say they were for it before they were against it.