[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 117 (Thursday, August 18, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 18, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 LEANER, MEANER HEALTH CARE PLAN NEEDED

  (Mr. EHLERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, we have heard time and time again from the 
current administration that their goal for health care is to reduce 
costs and improve efficiency. However, I fear we will have the 
opposite. An example is what I hold in my hand, an inch-thick survey 
response submitted by an ambulatory health care facility in my district 
in response to a questionnaire from the Health Care Financing 
Administration.
  The physician who gave this to me estimated it took 120 hours of 
staff time, plus a considerable amount of his time, at a total cost of 
approximately $10,000 simply to respond to this survey from the Federal 
Government. This, I fear, is a prime example of what Government 
involvement in health care will do.
  Ultimately, it is the users, the patients, who will pay the bill for 
this sort of thing. It will not reduce health care costs. What we need 
is a leaner, better, more efficient health administration, not a more 
bureaucratic one that is going to result in surveys such as this.
  I recommend that we work in the direction of a leaner, better, health 
care plan.

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