[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                HEALTH REFORM MUST COVER EARLY RETIREES

  (Mr. VISCLOSKY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, as the debate over health care reform 
continues, we must remember that true reform begins and ends with 
guaranteed health insurance for every American.
  There are some who would exclude coverage for early retirees--the 5.3 
million Americans aged 55 to 65 who no longer work and are too young to 
receive Medicare. We cannot allow these early retirees to fall through 
the cracks of health care reform.
  When health care is concerned, early retirees are often left to 
choose between a rock and a hard place. The General Accounting Office 
estimates that 96 percent of America's employers offer no health 
benefits to former employees.
  And, as we all know, people between the ages of 55 to 64 are highly 
vulnerable of job loss and this same age group has great difficulty 
finding new jobs.
  The tragic irony of early retirees falling through cracks in the 
health care system is that most people who stop working before their 
65th birthday do so for health-related reasons.
  Coverage for early retirees is also an American competitiveness 
issue. Other industrialized nations that make steel, cars, computers, 
and many other products, cover their early retirees through broad-based 
programs, which gives these foreign nations an advantage over our 
companies.
  Mr. Speaker, we should ensure that health care reform guarantees 
health insurance for all--including early retirees.

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