[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 106 (Thursday, August 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       WE NEED UNIVERSAL COVERAGE

  (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, as we head into the final days of the 
health care reform debate, two major proposals are emerging from the 
pack: The first is the universal coverage plan being forwarded by the 
majority leader of this body. The second is incremental reform being 
forwarded by the minority leader of the other body.
  The Democratic approach would guarantee private insurance to every 
American. The Republican model would rely on various insurance reforms 
but does not guarantee coverage to a single American.
  A study of both approaches by the nonpartisan consulting firm of 
Lewin-VHI found that the Republican model would be disastrous for the 
country.
  We need universal coverage. If we only extend insurance to the sick 
and the elderly without requiring that young, healthy people are also 
in the system, we will have shrinking risk pools and skyrocketing 
premiums. When New York State tried this type of insurance reform 
without universal coverage, they saw some premiums increase by more 
than 100 percent. Similar reform on a national level would devastate 
our working families.

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