[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 7 (Wednesday, February 2, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 2, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express some of 
the concerns that the people of the 29th Congressional District have on 
health care reform. Over the past several months, we have held a number 
of townhall meetings in my district to discuss health care reform and 
nearly everyone agrees that something needs to be done to reform our 
current system, but not lose the quality we have.
  First, we must provide everyone coverage; second, we must include 
prescription drug coverage for senior citizens; third, we must allow 
individuals to choose their own doctor. Last week I received a call 
from a constituent who explained that city of Houston employees had 
recently been put in one health plan and lost their choice of doctors. 
Because of this, she will have to repeat an entire series of medical 
tests with her new doctor at great expense and waste of time. We cannot 
allow this to continue.
  If we pass a plan that does less than this the American people will 
not support it. We have an opportunity to address the largest social 
problem of our time because we have reached a state of crisis. During 
the townhall meetings in my district, I discovered that health care is 
a crisis if you do not have health care, yet health care is only a 
problem if your neighbor doesn't have health care. In Washington, it 
may be a problem, but in the real world it is a crisis. For the people 
of the 29th District, our health care system is in a crisis and these 
needed reforms must be passed without delay.

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