Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “Medical Debt: Can Bankruptcy Reform Facilitate a Fresh Start.” The hearing examined medical bankruptcies in America, and witnesses included CAP fellow Elizabeth Edwards and Kerry Burns, a Rhode Island mother who was forced into “financial ruin” by her late son’s medical bills.

One of the highlights of the hearing was when Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) questioned Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Diana Furchtgott-Roth about medical bankruptcies. Franken asked Furchtgott-Roth — who claimed that moving towards a European-style system of universal health care would increase bankruptcies — about how many medical bankruptcies there were in countries that have universal health care, like Switzerland and France. Furchtgott-Rott repeatedly told Franken that she didn’t “have that number,” and Franken informed her that the number was actually zero.

And not a week goes by I’m not grateful Franken managed to beat Coleman in the Senate race. We need universal healthcare yesterday.

“There’s major symbolic significance to that move. Murphy is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and, more importantly, a Bronze Star winner and the first Iraq war veteran to serve in Congress.”

You may remember him from the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell hearings in July of 2008 where he completely and utterly owned Elaine Donnelly.

(via Towleroad)