[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 28, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    IN SUPPORT OF ROWLAND-BILIRAKIS

  (Mr. LAUGHLIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAUGHLIN. Mr. Speaker, there is no reason why Congress cannot 
achieve very substantial reform of the country's health care delivery 
system this year.
  The Rowland-Bilirakis bill is proof of this.
  Roy Rowland and Mike Bilirakis, with the advice and help of many of 
our colleagues in this body, have crafted legislation around reform 
proposals that just about everybody on both sides of the aisle can 
support.
  It helps farmers and independent business people by providing 100 
percent deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed.
  It benefits small business by making private health insurance 
marketed to small employers more affordable and available regardless of 
an employee's health status and previous claims experience.
  It reduces health care costs with malpractice liability reform, 
administrative streamlining, and antifraud reforms.
  It expands care through insurance reforms and by paving the way for 
an expansion of community health care centers.
  Nevertheless, the one criticism we hear about this plan is that it 
does not do enough.
  This misses the point. Those who support this consensus approach have 
never said it is the be all and end all of health care reform. It is, 
instead, a starting point.
  If you believe more can be achieved by getting people to begin 
working together in an environment of bipartisan cooperation, rather 
than one of political divisiveness, then the Rowland-Bilirakis bill 
provides a sound basis on which to focus the debate.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to fully consider the consensus 
approach and make certain we achieve as much progress as possible in 
health care reform this year. Support the Rowland-Bilirakis bill.

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