[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 58 (Thursday, May 12, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                SMALL BUSINESSES NEED HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. SKAGGS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, a broad coalition of 3 million small 
businesses recently stepped forward to endorse President Clinton's 
health care reform proposal. Why?
  Because right now, four out of five small businesses provide health 
insurance to their employees, and the costs of the current system are 
killing them.
  They pay more--about 35 percent more--than other businesses for the 
same coverage. They just do not have the bargaining power or clout to 
get decent rates. They have endorsed President Clinton's plan to give 
them that power through community-based ratings and by outlawing the 
unfair insurance practices that discriminate against small businesses.
  Another reason they are endorsing the Clinton plan is that companies 
providing insurance are at a disadvantage when their competitors do 
not. Small businesses also end up paying more for their insurance to 
pay for the cost of the uninsured, many of them employed by their 
competitors. With universal coverage, there will be no more free riders 
taking advantage of the health care system--everyone will pay a fair 
share.
  Small businesses today face health insurance costs that are rising 20 
or 30 percent a year and more. No matter how profitable the business, 
that rate of increase is unsustainable. President Clinton's health care 
reform package offers generous discounts so small businesses can afford 
insurance. It will cut administrative costs and help bring health care 
under control.
  The bottom line for the coalition of three million small businesses 
who endorsed the President's plan is that they want to be able to 
provide affordable, dependable insurance for their families and 
employees. They see the proposal offered by President Clinton as the 
best way to get there.

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