[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]

 
              IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH

  The SPEAKER. Under the Speaker's announced policy of February 11, 
1994, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized for 2 
minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to avail myself of this new time. I 
think this is a time that this body can use to begin to focus on the 
issues of the day in a more relaxed and a more meaningful and organized 
way.
  Obviously, Mr. Speaker, there is a little out there today that is 
catching more attention or more need in the way we go about business in 
our country than health care and all of the proposals for health care 
reform that are out there. It has come to my attention that as more and 
more seniors, small businesses, and middle-income families understand 
the serious flaws in the President's Government-run health plan, they 
are saying ``No'' in ever-increasing numbers. And now despite intensive 
White House wooing, the national AARP reportedly refused to make the 
endorsement the Presisdent had worked so hard to attain. Why? The 
executive director of AARP, Mr. Horace Deets, said, ``An organization's 
endorsement is only as valid as the degree of support it enjoys from 
its members. It's our members' endorsement that the President wants.'' 
Seniors know Government-run health will likely lead to reduced quality, 
less choice, and waiting lines for important medical procedures.
  That is what is happening in other areas where the government is 
running health care. They know, our seniors know, that health reform 
does not have to mean Government-run health care. They know there are 
other choices out there that we are debating or need to debate. They 
are asking us to get busy working on them.
  Mr. Speaker, I think this forum is exactly the type of forum that we 
should be using for that debate, and I encourage my colleagues to take 
advantage of this that our leaders have responded to to give us these 
opportunities.

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