There was only one speaker at Sen. Harry Reid's press conference today who was NOT a member of the U.S. Senate. Her name? Loretta Johnson, a home health care worker who lost her own coverage when her husband became ill, and Loretta was forced to quit her job.

Loretta is an SEIU member who worked for 18 years as a deputy courthouse clerk in Lebanon, Virginia. When her husband fell ill, Loretta quit her job to take care of him, and subsequently lost their health insurance, income, retirement, security, sick days and more. Today, as a personal care assistant, Loretta works to build the Personal Care Assistant Association in Virginia. While she brings home a paycheck, she still doesn't have health insurance or benefits of any kind.

Below are Loretta's remarks at today's Senate health care bill unveiling:

My husband had open heart surgery and was diabetic. And in 2000, he was so sick I had to quit my job to take care of him. So, I lost my health insurance. After he passed away, I became a home health care worker. I'm at the bedside every day giving people the same type of care I gave my husband. But, I don't have health insurance.

And that is why I am so proud to be standing here today representing SEIU and its 2.1 million workers.

Because, after more than 100 years of debate, Senator Reid said, "Enough". Enough scare tactics. Enough politics as usual.

The Senate's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act puts us one step closer to health care that works for every American.

Because of his leadership, insurance companies will no longer control our healthcare system - making sure people like me actually have a choice.

Now, in my opinion, there's probably some room for improvement. But I know, Senator Reid and the Senators standing here today are as committed as we are to making sure people can afford the care they need.

And believe me, I'll be up here to make sure every one of these Senators does just that.

Watch full video from today's press conference with Loretta here.

You can also see Loretta Johnson at SeniorstoSeniors.org.

There was only one speaker at Sen. Harry Reid's press conference today who was NOT a member of the U.S. Senate. Her name? Loretta Johnson, a home health care worker who lost her own coverage when her husband became ill, and Loretta was forced to quit her job.

Loretta is an SEIU member who worked for 18 years as a deputy courthouse clerk in Lebanon, Virginia. When her husband fell ill, Loretta quit her job to take care of him, and subsequently lost their health insurance, income, retirement, security, sick days and more. Today, as a personal care assistant, Loretta works to build the Personal Care Assistant Association in Virginia. While she brings home a paycheck, she still doesn't have health insurance or benefits of any kind.

Below are Loretta's remarks at today's Senate health care bill unveiling:

My husband had open heart surgery and was diabetic. And in 2000, he was so sick I had to quit my job to take care of him. So, I lost my health insurance. After he passed away, I became a home health care worker. I'm at the bedside every day giving people the same type of care I gave my husband. But, I don't have health insurance.

And that is why I am so proud to be standing here today representing SEIU and its 2.1 million workers.

Because, after more than 100 years of debate, Senator Reid said, "Enough". Enough scare tactics. Enough politics as usual.

The Senate's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act puts us one step closer to health care that works for every American.

Because of his leadership, insurance companies will no longer control our healthcare system - making sure people like me actually have a choice.

Now, in my opinion, there's probably some room for improvement. But I know, Senator Reid and the Senators standing here today are as committed as we are to making sure people can afford the care they need.

And believe me, I'll be up here to make sure every one of these Senators does just that.

Watch Loretta speak here:

You can also see Loretta Johnson at SeniorstoSeniors.org

For more than a decade, SEIU members have been fighting for quality, affordable health care for all. In 2003, we launched the Americans for Health Care campaign and began educating, training and organizing around health care issues in battleground states. We identified more than 600,000 health care voters in key states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and Colorado.

In 2007 and 2008, our Healthcare United campaign mobilized more than one million health care professionals - doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and more - in support of health care reform. And throughout this period, SEIU members have led state and workplace efforts to improve access to and delivery of quality health care.

Last November, our members helped elect President Barack Obama on a pledge that health care reform would be a top priority for his administration. Soon afterward, we launched our Change that Works campaign - a multi-state campaign with targeted field, new media, communications and lobbying on key worker issues, including health care reform. After ten years of focused work on this issue, this weekend's passage of the House health care bill is a moment we should celebrate.

Take a look at some of the highlights in this historic legislation:

Coverage Expansion

• Requires most employers (employers with a payroll of more than $500,000) to provide employees with health insurance, or make an insurance contribution on their behalf, starting in 2013.
  
• Requires most people to obtain health care coverage beginning in 2013.
  
• Allows children up to 27 years of age to remain on their parents' health care policies.

More Choices in Health Care Coverage

• Creates a federal health insurance exchange in 2013. Individuals and employers can purchase insurance on the exchange.
  
• Establishes a public health insurance option within the insurance exchange by 2013.
  
• Breaks up the insurance company cabal by repealing the blanket antitrust exemption for health insurers. This is expected to lead to more competition.

Encouraging Small Businesses to Cover Employees

• Provides tax credits for certain small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees.

Ending Abuse by Insurers

• Bars insurance companies from denying, changing or reducing coverage based on "pre-existing conditions." This does not go into effect until 2013. In the meantime, it restricts how long insurers can continue to limit coverage for a "pre-existing condition" (only 30 days - in other words, if you have a "pre-existing condition" and wanted a new insurance policy, the insurance company can only look back 30 days into your medical history).
  
• Prohibits companies from considering domestic violence to be a "pre-existing condition."
  
• You'll no longer be told by a health care provider, "Sorry, but you've reached your annual cap. Your insurer will not pay for this procedure." This bill prohibits insurance companies from offering policies with annual or lifetime spending caps.
  
• Bans "gender rating" whereby insurers unfairly charge women up to 48% more than men for the same health insurance policies.
  
• Guarantees no out-of-pocket costs for preventive care, and limits annual expenses to $5,000 for individuals, $10,000 for a family.
  
• Requires all qualified health benefits plans to provide coverage that meets or exceeds an "essential benefits package," which includes maternity care, well-baby and well-child care, mental health and substance use disorder services, prescription drugs, and hospitalization.

Unfortunately, the bill also included an amendment offered by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that, according to Huffington Post, "potentially goes farther than any other federal law to restrict women's access to abortion." Read more about this amendment, here.

SEIU is committed to women's reproductive health, and we'll be working to see that any harmful language on women's health issues does not appear in any final health care bill. That work begins with ensuring that the U.S. Senate doesn't take up a similar amendments that distract us from the real work of fixing health care.

Moments ago, the House gaveled in a vote on health care reform. The vote was 220 to 215, with only a single Republican brave enough to break with his party's blockade. Today, we conquered the special interests of "No We Can't," and won a victory for our country.

Click here to see how your Representative voted, and write them.

The day was not without drama, however. It began with a series of attempts by House Republicans to obstruct debate. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) shouted, "I OBJECT, I OBJECT, I OBJECT" while Democratic Congresswomen attempted to speak on gender discrimination by insurers.

The day was also not without zany antics. Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) held up a baby, and pretended to speak as the baby on the House floor. (We're not kidding!) At many points during the debate, it seemed like we'd never reach a point where Congress would actually vote on health reform.

But we did it - you did it. You made thousands of phone calls to Congress, sent millions of emails and petition signatures, talked to neighbors, family members and friends about getting involved, and rallied in your communities. We couldn't have come this far without everyday Americans stepping forward, speaking out, and refusing to let the status quo remain in Washington.

Celebrate tonight the passage of H.R. 3962, "The Affordable Health Care for America Act," by thanking (or admonishing) your Representative for their vote on health insurance reform. We've come this far - and we're going the whole way.

For those of you who made whip calls this week - we are especially grateful. Our legislative team used your reporting to guide their strategy on calling various Congressional offices. Read a selection of great report-backs we used on Capitol Hill. There's no doubt that your calls helped convince key Democrats in Congress to vote for health care reform.

Stay with us in the weeks ahead, as we work to win votes in the U.S. Senate through our "adopt-a-state" campaign. Congratulations!

The House began debating H.R. 3962, "The Affordable Health Care for America Act," a little before 11am today. If you were watching C-SPAN, you might be wondering if it's normal for members of Congress to show such disrespect to one another by repeatedly shouting "I OBJECT" over their colleagues. You might also be wondering why Republican Congressmen are so adamantly opposed to allowing women in Congress to speak about gender discrimination in health care.

At this time, the House is engaged in determining the rules governing the debate. It was originally predicted by the Washington Post to be voted on between 10 and 11 a.m., but Republicans have risen to interrupt several Democratic Congresswomen before the Chair.

These women in Congress have risen to insert into the record a brief statement about women's health care issues - ranging from discrimination by health insurers to breast cancer research and treatment - but Republicans in Congress, like Rep. Tom Price, have repeatedly interrupted by shouting "I OBJECT, I OBJECT, I OBJECT," over their women colleagues. You really have to watch it to believe it:

Rep. Lois Capps and other women in Congress were rising to speak on issues that impact millions of American women - and how "The Affordable Health Care for America Act" will address these issues.

Today's GOP behavior follows a longer narrative of Republican disinterest in addressing gender discrimination in health care, including Sen. Kyl's remarks on why insurers shouldn't have to cover maternity care, and the introduction of the House GOP health care bill - which doesn't contain a single mention of "women" in its pages (aside from language on abortion).

Special note: when House Republicans stood up to insert their own remarks to the record, not a single Democrat objected.

Thousands of activists have been whipping votes in Congress today in preparation for tomorrow's scheduled vote on health insurance reform. You've contacted 272 members of the U.S. House, but many still haven't gone on the record, and 163 members still need to be called. Have you whipped your Representative's vote yet? Whip your health care vote here: http://action.seiu.org/whip

Our legislative team is using your reports on the Hill, so keep them coming. Below are just a few of the helpful report-backs from callers:

Caller to Rep. Tim Ryan's office: At first he wouldn't tell me but once I pushed him a little he told me Congressman Ryan would vote "likely in favor of" the health care bill.

Caller to Rep. Jerry Moran's office: He does NOT support HR3962. I requested that the Congressman do some soul searching considering my insurance premiums increased by 20% last year and I can NO longer justify the extreme cost of health insurance.

Caller to Rep. Ben Chandler's office: She stated that the representative has not made a final decision however he is leaning towards no.

Caller to Rep. Betsy Markey's office: He said she had not made a decision at this time and as she was continuing to read the very long and important bill. I encouraged support several times. Sam says there have been many phone calls and that is why I got a busy signal on my earlier calls.

Caller to Rep. Kurt Schrader's office: The Congressman is still undecided until he reads through all of the legislation and looks over constituent feedback, including this call.

Caller to Rep. Tom Perriello's office: The Congressman is still undecided as he is still studying the changes from this past summer. I said I hoped he was not swayed by the Chamber of Commerce scare ads and reminded him it is his constituents who put him there.

Caller to Rep. John Boccieri's office: The Congressman is still reviewing information; told [the staff aide] that I work with many people who need a health care system without discrimination for pre-existing conditions or women's health care concerns.

Caller to Rep. Marcy Kaptur's office: He said Marcy was still reviewing the bill and that he would pass on any message. I asked him to please tell her to pass H.R. 3962 and that I hoped with all my heart that it has a strong public option.

Caller to Rep. Richard Neal's office: He actually said that Neal was leaning towards a yes vote. He said he wants to see what's in the bill.

Now it's your turn.

Have you ever helped "whip" a vote? Well, get ready.

Before a vote takes place, most Members of Congress are asked ahead of time which way they'll vote. It's called tallying the "whip count." It helps us figure out who needs to hear from us, and who's already made up their mind. There are 435 members of U.S. House of Representatives. That's a lot - and we can't do all this counting alone.

Our goal this week is to call every single office and ask how they'll vote on "The Affordable Health Care for America Act," H.R. 3962. Can you help whip a vote? Click here to whip a health care vote.

We're told the vote could happen this Saturday, and that it might be incredibly close. Help make sure Congress votes for this bill, which would:

• Vastly improve access to quality, affordable health care coverage
• Provide a strong public option that will compete side-by-side with insurance companies
• Eliminate insurance company "rescission" and denial of coverage due to "pre-existing conditions"
• End insurance company discrimination against women

You can bet that insurance companies like UnitedHealth, Humana and CIGNA have a legion of lobbyists talking to Congressional offices right now. We've got to make sure they remember who they were elected to represent - the American people. Help hold politicians accountable by whipping the vote for health care reform. Tell them to vote for H.R. 3962, "The Affordable Health Care for America Act."

>> Whip your Representative's vote right now.

Several key groups just endorsed the House health care bill, H.R. 3962, including American Medical Association (AMA), AARP, and the American Cancer Society. Keep up the momentum - whip your Rep's vote right now: http://action.seiu.org/whip