[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 26, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, the President gave us a fine delivery last 
night, very broad-reaching and grandiose plans for his administration 
in 1994.
  But one thing that may have slipped by in all of the various points 
that were made is the fact that the President seemed to say that 
anything short of the Clinton health-care approach to health-care 
reform would draw a Presidential veto. What that basically means is 
that all of the other plans that are out there that Members of this 
body and the other body have worked so hard on to bring forward for 
debate for the American people's scrutiny and for due deliberation in 
the process that we have in this wonderful body, that they are not 
going to be allowed to be debated. They will not be heard. There will 
not be options.
  But there are at least four or five other plans that deserve good 
debate and analysis. I think it is a little bit like threatening to 
gather up all of your marbles and go home if somebody does not 
guarantee that you are going to win the game.
  But health care in this country is not a game. It is too important. 
It affects every American. And I know the President does not mean to 
play games with it.
  The fact is, I think, today we could get enough votes in this House 
and the other body to pass a bill that would significantly improve the 
health-care situation for millions of Americans. Unusual as that may 
sound, we actually have bipartisan agreement on the need to reform 
insurance markets so people cannot be denied coverage for preexisting 
health problems. I think we could get that passed today.
  We agree on the need to make insurance portable so people can 
transfer their coverage from job to job. I think we agree on that 
today.
  We certainly agree on the need to loosen restrictions on small 
businesses so they can join together in cooperation to find more 
affordable insurance for their employees. There is not any real 
disagreement about that at all.
  We certainly agree on the need to streamline paperwork and reduce red 
tape at all levels of health-care delivery. These we could do and all 
be better off today. I do not see any reason why we do not proceed on 
this basis, but we will not if the President is going to exercise his 
veto pen as he said last night in this body.
  These are things Americans are asking for us to do. They are not 
asking for a veto of them. They are asking for action on them. But the 
President has, nevertheless, waved his veto pen.
  These are commonsense things that can be done in a bipartisan way.
  Why is the President waving his veto pen? Because he insists on his 
own version of health reform which will put Government bureaucrats 
between Americans and their doctors, will severely constrain Americans' 
choices, and may in fact reduce access to quality care.
  The President believes Government is better able to make decisions 
about American's health care than are those individuals, their 
families, and their trusted physicians. Are you going to be happy to 
have the Government tell you that what is wrong with you is not high 
enough priority so that you can get attention in a timely way? Or do 
you want somebody else in Washington to make that decision Or is that a 
decision that you and your doctor should be making?
  These are important points. I think that quite simply the President 
is saying that he wants to start down the road to irreversibly 
socializing our whole American scheme of medicine, his guarantee for 
Government-managed health care.
  Coverage for everyone should not be confused with a guarantee for 
quality health care, with the doctor of your choice, when and where you 
need it, and what you need it for. Anything short of that and it will 
not play. I think as Americans understand that there is going to be a 
very strong reaction to that veto threat that was made last night 
before the debate even starts.
  I guess we can say Americans are being cut off at the pass when it 
comes to health-care reform. Perhaps it might be more appropriate to 
say they are being cut off at the door of the doctor of their choice.
  This will not fly, and we are going to have debate one way or the 
other.

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