[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 18 (Friday, February 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    FACES OF THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS

 Mr. RIEGLE. Mr. President, I rise this morning in my 
continuing effort to put a face on the health care crisis before our 
country. Today I want to share the story of Rose Mallot, of Sterling 
Heights, MI. Rose has put off surgery to remove her ovaries because she 
does not have insurance to cover the medical costs.
  Rose Mallot is 40 years old and works part time for a local 
newspaper. Last year she only earned $12,000. Rose has been uninsured 
for 3 years since she lost the coverage that she had through her former 
husband's employer. The newspaper that she works for does not offer 
health insurance to part-time workers, and Rose cannot afford the high 
cost of an individual policy which would cost hundreds of dollars each 
month. Even if she could afford her own policy, it would probably not 
cover her preexisting condition.
  Rose's gynecologist has recommended on several occasions that Rose 
have her ovaries removed due to cysts that have formed on them. This 
procedure would cost $15,000 for hospitalization and physician 
charges--more than Rose's total income last year. Rose certainly does 
not have the money to pay for the surgery, nor does she have health 
insurance to cover the costs.
  Rose sees her gynecologist regularly and pays discounted fees out-of-
pocket. On one occasion, the pain of these cysts was so excruciating 
that she was forced to go to the emergency room for treatment. She 
received an injection to reduce her pain temporarily, but nothing could 
be done to address the cause of her pain. The emergency room treatment 
cost Rose $153--a cost that she must meet without the help of 
insurance.
  In an attempt to reduce the size of the cysts, Rose has been taking a 
medication that costs $92 for 30 pills. Her doctor has prescribed that 
Rose take 4 of the pills each day, so her medication costs her almost 
$400 per month--about 40 percent of her income. Again, Rose does not 
have health insurance to cover these costs.
  Luckily for Rose, the cyst growth seems to be controlled by the 
medication, and surgery is not an emergency at this point in time. But 
eventually Rose will need to get this problem taken care of.
  Mr. President, the health care reform proposal that President Clinton 
has presented to this Congress would guarantee that Rose would always 
have health insurance coverage--regardless of her health condition or 
her marital status or her employment status. And it would guarantee 
that she would have a comprehensive set of benefits that would meet her 
needs--including prescription drug coverage.
  Mr. President, we must pass health care reform legislation this year, 
and I am going to do everything I can to work with my colleagues to 
iron out our differences and pass a reform plan that guarantees 
comprehensive, affordable coverage to every American.

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