[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 20 (Tuesday, March 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
CRITICS WERE WRONG ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THEY'RE WRONG ABOUT HEALTH CARE

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, there is a story that my grandfather used to 
love to tell about the time he immigrated from Ukraine to Hamtramck.
  The town was filled with Polish and Ukrainian immigrants. And one 
time, one of these people from the old country robbed a bank.
  He was caught right away, but he did not have the money on him. And 
he didn't speak a word of English.
  The police chief got an interpreter, sat them both down in the jail, 
and told the interpreter, ``Ask this man where the money is.''
  The interpreter asked, but got no answer.
  The chief took out his gun, placed it on the table, and said: ``You 
tell this guy he better answer or he's in big trouble.''
  The interpreter asked again, but again, he got no answer.
  Finally, the chief picked up the gun, pointed it at the bank robber's 
forehead and said, ``You tell this guy he better talk or he'll be 
sorry.''
  The interpreter delivered the message, and this time the robber said 
in Polish: ``I confess. I stole $100,000 and dropped the money in a dry 
well behind the bank. The money's there.''
  The interpreter thought a minute, turned to the chief and said: ``The 
robber says he's not afraid to die.''
  Mr. Speaker, I think of that story a lot every time I think about 
last year's budget battle.
  Those of us who supported the President's budget felt like we had 
equally reliable interpreters working against us.
  Time and time again, we were warned that passing the President's 
budget would make the sky fall--release swarms of locusts--and bring a 
plague down on our house.
  We have heard it year after year, decade after decade.
  Every time our Government tries to do something good for people, to 
improve people's lives and to lift them up, our friends on the other 
side of the aisle say it is socialism--big government--tax and spend.
  Let us recall the Republican rhetoric we heard during the budget 
debate of 1993.
  We were told that the budget bill would lead to a job-killing 
recession.
  We were told that ``Clearly, this is a job-killer in the short run'' 
and that the impact on job creation would be devastating.
  We were told that the budget would mean, ``Higher deficits, a higher 
national debt, deficits running $350 billion a year, more unemployment, 
higher interest rates and higher inflation.''
  And one gentleman even said to those of us who voted for the plan, 
``This is now your package. We will come back here next year and try to 
help you when this puts the economy in the gutter.''
  Well, Mr. Speaker, guess what: Next year is here.
  And each and every one of their predictions has fallen flat on its 
face.
  The truth is that for the first time in 12 years, our deficit is 
going down instead of up.
  For the first time in 8 years, investment is going up instead of 
down.
  And for the first time in 4 years, the economy is creating jobs 
instead of destroying them.
  The budget we passed last year cut $255 billion in spending;
  It eliminated over 340 separate budget items.
  And it reduced the size of the Federal bureaucracy--to its lowest 
point in 30 years.
  Last summer, the so-called experts were predicting that if we passed 
the President's budget, this year's deficit would be $300 billion.
  Well, the experts were wrong.
  Because we passed the plan, this year's deficit is projected to be 
under $180 billion--a 40-percent drop.
  And if we stick with this plan, we will post 3 consecutive years of 
declining deficits for the first time since Harry Truman lived in the 
White House.
  The best news is, it is working for the economy.
  Right now, interest rates are down and homes sales are up.
  Inflation is down and auto sales are up.
  Unemployment is down and incomes are up.
  And all told, our economy has created more jobs in the past year 
alone than in the 4 years of President Bush combined.
  That's a good start, Mr. Speaker, and more needs to be done. Much 
more needs to be done.
  But it just goes to show that when you make tough choices, you get 
results.
  But now our friends on the other side of the aisle are up to their 
old tricks. They lost the budget battle, so now they are bringing the 
same old scare tactics to the health care debate.
  Now, we are being told that guaranteed health insurance is socialism, 
now or later and a dictatorship in health care.
  We are being told that President Clinton wants to deliver a 
monstrous, Government-run, bureaucratic nightmare that is not reform.
  And in response to the President's State of the Union message last 
month, the Republican line was that the President's health plan means, 
``More cost. Less choice. More Government control. And less control for 
you and your family.
  Once again, the President is trying to bring positive change to 
America. And once again, our friends on the other side of the aisle are 
using the same old cliches, scare tactics, and tired rhetoric.
  Well, we have a saying for this kind of thing in America: Fool me 
once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
  The American people are not going to be fooled again.
  The Republicans were wrong about the budget then and they are wrong 
about the health care plan now.
  As the majority leader pointed out a few weeks ago, it is not the 
first time in history that they've been wrong about health care.
  It is not the first time they've been out of touch.
  Let us recall the great debates over Social Security and Medicare.
  Back in 1935, Republican Congressman John Taber said Social Security 
was ``insidiously designed to prevent business recovery'' and ``to 
enslave workers.'' Republican Congressman Daniel Reed said it was ``the 
lash of the dictator.''
  That is what he said about Social Security.
  In 1965, when Democrats pushed for Medicare, Republican Congressman 
James Utt said it was ``socialized medicine.'' Republican Congressman 
Joel Broyhill said, ``It would impair the quality of health care, 
retard the advancement of medicine and displace private insurance.''
  Medicare?
  And as the majority leader pointed out, back in the mid-1960's, a 
young Republican actor said that if Medicare passed, ``we'd spend our 
sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it 
once was like in America when men were free.''
  The actor's name was Ronald Reagan.
  And he was talking about Medicare.
  They did not get it then and they don't get it now.
  Well, the American people get it.
  They want a health system that covers everyone and provides all 
Americans with health insurance that can never be taken away.
  They want a health care system controlled by people who care about 
our health, not just our wallets.
  They want a system that helps seniors and expands Medicare.
  And want a health care system for everyone. Every day. Always.
  After 50 years of starts and stops, that is the plan President 
Clinton has proposed for America--despite what others try to tell you.
  And I give him a lot of credit for putting health care on the agenda.
  The problem is, we have a lot of special interests who don't want 
change. Who are trying to distort the plan. And I think there is a lot 
of confusion about what the plan will do and what it will mean for the 
average family.
  Over the coming months, I have received time on this floor to talk 
about health care reform, to talk about the issues that confront us, 
and to answer some of the questions I'm receiving from people back 
home.
  As I have said before, I may not be Marcus Welby, I may not even be 
Doogie Howser, but I think I can give people some idea about how the 
President's health care plan might work and how it compares to other 
plans.
  And it is important to recognize from the beginning that we're 
talking about a moving target here. The President's plan is likely to 
change in the months to come.
  It has got to go through the committees, and through both Houses of 
Congress, before it comes to a vote.
  This is just the beginning of the process--not the end.
  But that is what the democratic process is all about--taking the good 
ideas other people have and incorporating them to make a good plan even 
better.
  In the end, we will have a health care plan and a health care system 
that we can all be proud of.
  That will save money and save lives.
  And that will work for all of us.
  But as we move toward that goal, I do get a lot of questions from 
back home.
  One question I get asked a lot is, ``David, why do you support the 
President's plan?''
  Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. Right now, there are at least 
six major health care plans before Congress.
  Six major plans that are very thoughtful plans, proposed by very 
thoughtful people, and they all have some good qualities about them.
  But the President's plan is the only plan that has one essential 
feature.
  One essential feature that 79 percent of the American people said in 
a recent poll must be the cornerstone of health care reform.
  One essential feature that four out of every five Americans believe 
must be part of any plan that passes Congress.
  And that one essential feature is this: the President's plan is the 
only plan that provides all Americans with guaranteed private health 
insurance that can never be taken away.
  Not if you change jobs.
  Not if you lose your job.
  Not if you move, start a small business, or retire.
  No matter what happens, you can never lose your coverage.
  And the president's plan is the only plan that makes that guarantee.
  ``So,'' you might ask. ``What exactly is the President proposing?''
  In a nutshell, the President is proposing a twofold solution.
  First, to make sure everyone is covered, his plan builds upon what 
works today in the private sector, by expanding the employer-based 
system we have today.
  His plan would require employers to help pay for coverage--it would 
subsidize insurance for small businesses, low-wage workers, and the 
jobless--and it would set up insurance-purchasing pools called health 
alliances to make policies cheaper.
  He would require that all people, at a minimum, be covered by a 
standard set of benefits as good as the benefits packages offered by 
most Fortune 500 companies--and no matter what happens, those benefits 
can never be taken away.
  Second, the President would also try to control health costs. He 
would cap the two big Government health care programs so that they grew 
only about half as fast as inflation and weed out much of the waste, 
fraud, abuse, and duplication in the system today.
  His plan would also rewrite the rules for the health-care market, to 
force private insurance companies to compete on how well they can take 
care of people, not how many people they can drop from coverage when 
they get sick.
  And, in case the competition of the free market doesn't do enough to 
restrain costs, the President's plan would impose strict limits on how 
fast insurance companies can jack up premiums.
  Mr. Speaker, by far the most common question I get is the most 
personal: ``How is all this going to affect me?''
  Here is what that means in English: after reform, almost all of us 
will be able to sign up for a health plan where we work, just like we 
do today.
  You will get brochures that give you easy-to-understand information 
on the health plans in your area--including an evaluation of the 
quality of care and a consumer satisfaction survey. And you can choose 
the plan that is best for you and your family.
  If you are self-employed or unemployed, you sign up at the health 
alliance in your area--which is made up of consumers and local business 
owners who bargain with insurance companies for affordable health care 
for you and your family.
  Many people say to me, David, I have a good plan through my employer 
now. Will I be able to keep the plan I have now?
  The answer is ``yes''--one of the features we are going to absolutely 
insist on during health care reform is that people do not lose the good 
benefits they may already have now.
  If your employer is currently paying 100 percent of the cost of your 
plan, he or she can continue to pay 100 percent. We are trying to 
preserve what is right with our system just as much as we are trying to 
fix what is wrong.
  Many of the people back home also want to know: Will I still be able 
to choose my own plan and doctor?
  The answer is ``yes''--you will always be able to choose your own 
plan and doctor. In fact, you will probably have more choices than you 
have right now.
  Under today's system, rising health care costs have forced many 
businesses to limit the health plans for their employees. Nearly three-
quarters of small- and medium-sized businesses today offer just one 
plan--meaning you are stuck with that plan and the doctors it covers.
  More than half of America does not really have any choice today at 
all.
  Under the health security plan, no boss will be able to tell you 
which doctor to go to or which plan you can join.
  Every American will have the choice among a number of high quality 
plans.
  You can stay with your current doctor, join a network of doctors and 
hospitals, or join a health maintenance organization. Depending on the 
area you live in, you could be offered many choices within those three 
main areas. Your doctors can be part of any plan they want to.
  Every year, you can switch plans. And if your doctor switches plans--
you can move with him.
  Another common question is, ``How good is the standard benefits the 
President is proposing?''
  The standard package of benefits the President is proposing for all 
Americans is at least as good as the benefits offered by most Fortune 
500 companies. And you can never lose it.
  In fact, the President's plan is also the only private-based plan 
that specifies what benefits are covered.
  The other plans leave that chore to a commission to decide benefits--
only after the bill is signed into law.
  Under the President's plan, you will be covered for hospital care, 
doctors visits, emergency and laboratory services, substance abuse, and 
mental health treatments.
  And for the first time ever, prescription drugs will be covered.
  In today's system, your insurance may cover you if you get sick--but 
it will not pay a penny to keep you healthy in the first place.
  The President's plan will encourage prevention by paying 100 percent 
of the cost for regular check-ups, well-baby visits, mammogram, Pap 
smears, and other preventive care--to keep people healthy in the first 
place, so we can avoid more costly care down the road.
  Mr. Speaker, many people also ask me if premiums and copayments will 
go up under the new system.
  The answer is ``no,'' premiums and copayments will be brought under 
control.
  We are not going through this long, painful process of reform just so 
that people end up paying more money for less care.
  You know how the system works today--you may have a plan with a $250 
premium. But if you get sick just once, you may see that premium shoot 
up to $2,500--and there is nothing you can do but pay it.
  Under the health security plan, insurance companies won't be able to 
charge you more just because you're sick.
  Mr. Speaker, a lot of older Americans who are living on fixed incomes 
write me to ask if they'll be able to stay on Medicare.
  The answer is ``yes''--under the President's plan, older Americans 
who receive Medicare will still be able to receive their Medicare 
benefits exactly as they do today.
  In fact, Medicare will be made stronger--because for the first time 
ever, Medicare will cover prescription drugs--and no senior will ever 
again have to choose between the food they need to survive and the 
medicine they need to live.
  It is important to point out that the President's plan is the only 
plan that covers prescription drugs and long-term care for seniors.
  Under this plan, old people will not be made to pay more just to pay 
for health care for young people.
  And if you decide that you want different coverage, older Americans 
will be able to choose among different health plans that may offer 
fuller benefit packages and lower payments.
  But, many people ask me, what if someone in my family has a 
preexisting condition? Will they be covered?
  The answer is yes--under the Health Security plan, it will be illegal 
to refuse to insure people just because they've been sick.
  After reform passes, nobody can ever be denied coverage again. Health 
plans will have to accept people--healthy or not. They will not be able 
to charge you more for being sick.
  And most important, they cannot cut you off when you reach a lifetime 
limit. Because the President's plan abolishes lifetime limits for good.
  Mr. Speaker, those are just some of the questions I get. And those 
people who tell me it does not matter what plan we enact into law 
remind me of the old story about the veterinarian and taxidermist who 
shared the same office.
  Their slogan was ``Either way you get your dog back.''
  There is a difference between what plan we choose.
  The President's plan is the only plan that provides to all Americans 
guaranteed private health insurance that can never be taken away.
  It is the only plan that covers prescription drugs and long-term care 
for seniors.
  And it is the only plan that guarantees you will never be denied 
coverage or dropped from coverage again.
  Is it a perfect plan? Of course not.
  Some things will change between now and the time the President signs 
a bill into law.
  And we are going to be working with Democrats and Republicans over 
the coming months to make a good plan even better.
  Is it complicated? Of course it is--it has to be. Health care is 14 
percent of the gross national product.
  It is a difficult issue--and sometimes it seems we're dealing with a 
whole other language.
  But we all have a responsibility to get this system under control.
  And I am going to keep coming to this floor in the days to come, and 
I am going to continue to answer the questions I get from back home.
  Because the American people know what's at stake. They feel this 
health care crisis every day.
  They do not need any more interpretations.
  They do not need any more partisan bickering.
  They do not need any more fearmongering or tired old rhetoric. What 
they need is the truth.
  What they deserve is honest answers.
  And it is up to all of us to make sure they get them.

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