[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        MANDATES WILL LOSE JOBS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from Massachusetts 
[Mr. Torkildsen] is recognized during morning business for 2 minutes.
  Mr. TORKILDSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud my colleague, the 
gentleman from Texas, for those great words on the Apollo program.
  I rise today to speak about a different subject, Mr. Speaker, while 
there is much debate on what the impact of an employer mandate for 
health care will be, one point should be clear. The employer mandate 
will cost jobs.
  The employer mandate issue is so frightening that some advocates now 
use the terms ``soft trigger'' and ``hard trigger,'' enabling them to 
talk about employer mandates without ever mentioning the M word.

  An employer mandate by any other name would still cost hundreds of 
thousands of Americans their jobs, especially those in entry level 
jobs, those who need the most help from health care reform.
  Whether implemented by a trigger or some other euphemism, a mandate 
will still be a job killer, as employers lay off some workers to pay 
for the health care premiums of other workers.
  That is the cruelest part of the mandate: Some will lose their jobs 
so that others can have health insurance. Shouldn't we be working for 
reform that makes health care accessible for all Americans, without 
forcing layoffs to pay for that health care?
  Health security should not come at the expense of job security. We 
need to make health care more accessible and affordable for all 
Americans.

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