[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 83 (Monday, June 27, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

                                 ______


                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 27, 1994

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to decry the new Republican 
obstructionism that threatens to derail serious efforts to enact health 
care reform.
  Last week, the Republican minority whip--the next minority leader--
told a major newspaper that he had instructed members of his party to 
block any attempt to move even the most modest health care reform 
legislation to the floor.
  The Republican minority leader in the other body followed up with his 
own threat to block all legislation important to the American people--
including health care reform--unless Democrats in the Senate agreed to 
expanded hearings on Whitewater to accommodate their partisan witch 
hunt. The minority leader even criticized moderates in his own party 
for working on a health care compromise with Democratic colleagues. And 
finally, he asked for more time to complete a Republican health care 
reform measure here in the 11th hour of attempts to enact a bill.
  Prior to these incidents the former Vice President and his former 
chief of staff publicly urged Republicans to refuse to participate in 
developing a health care reform package that will assure every American 
of affordable coverage that can never be taken away. They said 
Republicans could gain politically by killing health care reform 
legislation this year.
  Mr. Speaker will our colleagues in the Republican Party, the masters 
of gridlock, never learn? Do they still not understand that President 
Clinton and this Congress were elected by the American people to act, 
not to stall and construct obstacles to real reform? And make no 
mistake, the Republicans in this body seek to delay and obstruct for 
partisan advantage. They offer no health bill of their own. They offer 
no compromise. They only offer obstruction and delay.
  This Congress must act now. If we must do so without the 
participation of the Republicans, then so be it. Our worsening health 
care crisis requires that those of us who want to fix this system work 
together to cut costs and red tape and make health care available to 
all.
  The number of uninsured now threatens to climb beyond 40 million 
Americans, up almost 10 percent in the past year. The ranks of the 
uninsured are growing even as the economy expands and good jobs become 
more plentiful under Clinton administration policies which were also 
roundly criticized and opposed by Republicans in both chambers. The 
growing number of the uninsured in an economy vastly improved since the 
departure of the Bush administration, is evidence that the system will 
not fix itself. We the U.S. Congress must put the health care needs of 
America before partisan political advantage.
  With every month that passes due to inaction, another 100,000 
Americans join the ranks of the uninsured, placing in jeopardy their 
homes and their future livelihood if a family member should become 
seriously ill or be injured in an accident.
  In El Paso, thousands of children go everyday without the most basic 
preventive health care coverage. These children should not suffer 
another day because the Republicans Grand Old Party is holding out for 
some hoped for political advantage. The working people of this country 
who go without health coverage every day have been pushed aside by the 
Republican Party in pursuit of its own partisan interests.
  I applaud President Clinton's resolve and courage in demanding 
universal coverage for all Americans. To cave in to the wanton 
political gamesmanship of Republican health care reform opponents would 
be a great disservice to this country and to the voters who placed 
their trust in President Clinton to fix this broken health care system.
  The time is now for those of us who truly want to fix this system, 
this year, in this Congress to rise up and speak out. We must not let 
partisan calls for inaction carry the day against the very real needs 
of millions, upon millions of Americans. This Congress has shown the 
resolve to make tough decisions on behalf of the American people. In 
spite of Republican naysayers who paid lip service to Government 
economy for 12 years without doing a thing about it, this Congress 
chose to act on real deficit reduction. As a result, the Congressional 
Budget Office reports the deficit will again plummet by $55 billion 
this year. Let us not surrender that resolve in the face of this 
partisan political opposition to real health care reform, which is, of 
course, what our constituents want and deserve.

                          ____________________