[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 97 (Friday, July 22, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       WE NEED HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I visited with several people in 
my New Haven, CT, office who are the latest victims of our health care 
system--retirees who worked for decades for a local tire manufacturer 
only to have their retirement health benefits canceled when the company 
was sold. For these people, the health care debate is much more than a 
political gambit.
  Julius Ruskin worked for Armstrong Rubber Co. for 26 years. Now, a 
sufferer of respiratory illness, he requires a continuous intake of 
oxygen--at a cost of $565 per month. His retirement benefits helped 
cover the costs of the life-saving gas--until last Wednesday, that is.
  When Armstrong Rubber was purchased by a foreign company, the new 
owner announced immediate plans to restructure. But, what restructuring 
means for more than 3,000 retirees on fixed incomes is they are left 
out in the cold.
  Medicaid and Medicare will cover half the costs of Julius Ruskin's 
oxygen. That leaves him with a $3,390 tab. And, he can only pray that 
he will not need hospital care, as he did earlier this year at a cost 
of $36,711. For Julius Ruskin and thousands of American retirees, 
employer obligations to retirees must be spelled out in the final 
health care bill.
  As we make the final turn and head down the health care reform 
stretch, we must pay attention to the practical needs of real people.

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