[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              HEALTH CARE REFORM: ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY LOST

  (Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in utter 
frustration with this body's inability to address even the simple but 
terrible problem of people being denied health insurance because they 
have been sick. As an author of legislation to solve this kind of 
problem and a cosponsor of bipartisan health care reform proposals in 
this Congress, I am simply outraged at the Democrat leadership's 
handling of health care reform and ashamed of this body's inaction.
  Instead of focusing on the broad areas of agreement for reform like 
insurance reforms, administrative simplification, malpractice reform, 
voluntary pooling arrangements, and other reforms that would expand 
access to health care and begin to control costs, the Democrat 
leadership has wasted yet another year by focusing on issues that had 
little or no support.
  Rather than fighting for employer mandates as a means of funding an 
expensive new entitlement, they should have seen months ago that the 
majority of Members think health care reform should not compromise 
small businesses vitality. Rather than seeking to impose Government set 
global budgets and price controls, which have failed miserably in every 
instance they have been tried, the Democrat leadership should have been 
working with the bipartisan group of members building on cost 
containment strategies that have already actually worked in the real 
world. Rather than dealing with only the single payer advocates, they 
should have worked with those of us who have set aside partisan 
politics to enact meaningful, practical solutions to our health care 
problems.
  Mr. Speaker, all time has not run out on this Congress. There are 
solid reforms we can still enact this year that will help people by 
giving them access to better, more affordable health care plans. Major 
reforms always serve us better as a society if they have bipartisan 
support. So let us not let yet another session of Congress slide by 
without passage of the concrete, useful reforms on which there is broad 
agreement.
  To fail to act, to fail to help people locked in their jobs, people 
forced to retire early and locked into high cost plans, to fail to 
reform at least the health insurance industry would be a disgrace for 
this Congress. This Member stands ready, willing, and able to do what 
is necessary to get the job done.

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