[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 114 (Monday, August 15, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                              THE SCHEDULE

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I say to Members of the Senate, the 
Senate today will continue debate on the health care reform legislation 
and the pending amendment by Senator Dodd regarding health insurance 
for children. That amendment has been pending since late Friday 
afternoon.
  I have repeatedly asked our Republican colleagues to permit a vote to 
occur on that amendment. So far, I have been unable to gain their 
assent. As every Senator knows, under the rules of the Senate, any one 
Senator or a group of Senators may prevent action from occurring by the 
tactic of unlimited debate and discussion.
  While I welcome the opportunity for every Senator to make opening 
statements and to address any aspect of the bill that he or she wishes, 
I believe that it is appropriate and timely for the Senate now to begin 
to vote on amendments, and I hope very much that we will be able to 
proceed to voting on the pending amendment today.
  I have invited Senator Dole and our Republican colleagues that if 
they have any amendments that they wish to offer, we welcome those; if 
not, we have other amendments which we are prepared to offer.
  In the event that we cannot reach agreement with respect to this 
amendment, the only recourse available to me is to require a vote on a 
procedural matter and, although that is not my preference, if no other 
alternative is available, that is what will be done. Under an order 
entered on Saturday, such a vote is scheduled for 5 p.m. today.
  I will be discussing the matter further with our colleagues and hope 
to have an announcement with respect to the schedule during the day 
today.
  The Senate will be in session Monday through Saturday on this 
legislation. As I have previously stated on many occasions, the Senate 
will take up the crime bill conference report when that is passed by 
the House. I do not know when that will occur and, therefore, cannot 
now state precisely anything with respect to the timing of that 
legislation. But that is a very important measure, and we will 
interrupt this debate for that measure after its passage in the House 
and after it is sent to the Senate.
  Mr. President, Senator Daschle will be acting as manager on behalf of 
Senator Moynihan, who is necessarily absent to attend a ceremony at the 
White House at which the President will sign into law legislation 
establishing the Social Security Administration as an independent 
agency. That is an important measure on which Senator Moynihan has 
worked for many years, and I think it appropriate that the President 
pay tribute to him in connection with that signing ceremony.
  Senator Moynihan has for many years been the leader of our Senate and 
I believe our Nation in protecting and enhancing the Social Security 
System, and this legislation is further action in that regard.
  Mr. President, I would like to make just one comment about my 
legislation, if I might, that has been the subject of a lot of debate 
here. Enough of our colleagues have made their opening statements, and 
they are identical in many respects, all of them focusing on a single 
theme that suggests that my bill creates a Government-run insurance 
system. Some heated rhetoric has been used which I believe has been 
inaccurate. But I want to and I will, of course, address the subject in 
a great deal more detail. But I myself am leaving to attend the White 
House ceremony of which I just spoke. But I just want to make one point 
in that regard: Saying something over and over again does not by itself 
make it true.
  This is a desk before me, and if I repeat a thousand times that this 
is a horse, it will not become a horse. It might persuade some people 
of that, because we all know that repetition can create that 
impression, but it does not make it so.
  We went through a similar exercise just a year ago when the 
President's economic plan was before the Senate.
  Over and over again, our colleagues said of that plan that it would 
raise everyone's taxes and be a tax on small business. Neither of those 
statements were correct. Although I acknowledge they were successful in 
persuading the American people, because polls showed that a large 
majority of Americans believed their income tax rates would go up as a 
result of that legislation and believed that it would impose a tax on 
all small businesses. Neither statement was true. They were proven to 
be untrue, but the mere repetition of those statements did persuade a 
majority of Americans even though the statements were incorrect.
  Much the same thing is occurring now.
  Let me make clear that my bill does not provide for a Government-run 
health insurance system. It is a voluntary system which builds upon the 
current private insurance market. Indeed, under my bill, one of the 
largest Government programs--Medicaid--would be virtually abolished and 
25 million Americans who are now in the Medicaid program, a Government 
Program, would be taken out of that program, which would be virtually 
abolished, and would be encouraged to purchase private health insurance 
in the same system of insurance payment and coverage that most 
Americans are now in.
  So not only is it not a Government-run program, it is just the 
opposite. It is a private program, a voluntary system, in which 
citizens are encouraged and assisted in the purchase of health 
insurance. In that respect, it is similar to the legislation offered by 
Senators Dole and Packwood. Both programs provide for insurance market 
reform; very similar in that respect. Both provide subsidies to people 
to assist them in purchasing insurance in the private market as most 
people do now.
  The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, if my plan is 
adopted, 95 percent of Americans will have health insurance by the year 
2000. And if that occurs, as both the Congressional Budget Office and I 
believe it will, then there will be no requirement on anyone under any 
circumstances to purchase health insurance.
  And so I want to make clear that, while it is going to be repeated 
over and over again, it is simply not correct. The fact of the matter 
is, I believe we should build upon the current system, take those steps 
to extend insurance to those who do not now have it, and provide health 
security to the millions of Americans who have health insurance but who 
do not have health security. Because right now, most Americans who have 
health insurance face the risk that if they get sick, their policy 
could be canceled. Incredible as that seems, that is what can happen 
under the current system.
  A person buys health insurance to cover himself and his family in the 
event they become sick. And then, if they become sick--the very reason 
they bought the insurance--the policy can be canceled. It is an 
incredible catch-22 in which American families find themselves and 
which my legislation seeks to correct. And those same families, and 
others like them, do not know if the premiums can be doubled or tripled 
at any time. They have no assurance that the policy will be renewed. 
They may lose their insurance if they change jobs or if the employer 
chooses to discontinue coverage.
  So it is important for Americans to understand that what is involved 
here is not just extending insurance to those who do not now have it.
  Of equal, indeed of greater, importance, it provides security to 
those Americans who do have insurance so that they will know that their 
policy cannot be canceled at any time and they will have what all 
American families should have--guaranteed private health insurance to 
provide access to high quality health care in our system.
  What we must do is adopt a mechanism which will permit us to fix what 
is wrong and to permit what is right to stay intact. I believe my 
legislation does that through a voluntary system in which 25 million 
Americans who are now in a Government program will be encouraged and 
assisted to buy private health insurance, and that Government program 
will be virtually abolished.
  I know there will be arguments to the contrary, and I welcome the 
debate. But I hope all Americans will keep that in mind during this 
debate.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair seeks advice from the majority 
leader on two points.
  Is the time that has been consumed to be charged against time under 
the control of Senator Daschle or is it to be charged against the 
majority leader's time?
  Mr. MITCHELL. The time under the control of Senator Daschle.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair also takes guidance from the 
majority leader on another point.
  Is the time between now and 5 p.m. today to be used for debate only, 
or would an amendment to the amendment in the first degree be in order 
and would an amendment to the underlying legislation be in order?
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, it was, I believe, Senator Dole's 
intention and mine that this time is to be used for debate only, unless 
and until we reached agreement and announce an agreement to the 
contrary.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WALLOP. There is, is there not, an amendment pending?
  Mr. MITCHELL. Yes.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. There is an amendment in the first degree, 
but it is open to amendment in the second degree.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Although we did not address that in the order, I 
believe it was Senator Dole's intention, and with which I am agreeable, 
pending discussions that he and I will have later in the day, that the 
debate will continue and then we will, if we can, reach an agreement 
and we will announce that probably sometime early this afternoon.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
Chair thanks the majority leader for his clarification.

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