[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 72 (Friday, June 10, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 CONSERVATIVE STYLE UNIVERSAL COVERAGE

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I introduced a conservative health care 
plan in November 1993. This was a plan that was developed by the 
Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank here in Washington. They 
developed this plan over a 7-year period. What it does is to offer 
taxpayers and all Americans universal coverage. It is the only 
Republican plan here Congress on the House side that offers universal 
coverage. Senator Nickles has offered this plan on the Senate side.
  But what I have done, Mr. Speaker, is to improve this bill, and I 
dropped this bill 2 days ago. It is now H.R. 4550, and what is 
important about my bill now is that it is completely voluntary.
  Make no mistake about it. This is something that every Republican and 
every Democrat could support. Also still provides universal coverage.
  Another feature is that it makes a broader range of insurance plans 
eligible for tax credits, and that is how we do it, all through the tax 
credit system. In order to provide the most affordable insurance 
options, the deductible limits of $1,000 for any individual and $2,000 
for a family has been deleted. The bill would limit out-of-pocket 
expenses for both insurance premiums and medical expenses to $5,000 or 
10 percent of the adjusted gross income. In order to preserve the 
bill's budget neutrality I have decided to push back the effective date 
to January 1, 1998.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, I have added a provision to ensure that the 
tax credits do not grow faster than private health expenditures.
  With these changes I ask my colleagues to look at this bill, H.R. 
4550. It is an alternative that provides universal coverage. It is the 
conservative approach, and I firmly believe it delivers on the idea of 
increasing access and affordability for all Americans without new taxes 
and without any mandates.

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