[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 134 (Thursday, September 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         THE HEALTH CARE DEBATE

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, 1 year ago today the health care debate 
officially began when the President delivered his nationally televised 
address before a joint session of Congress.
  There can be no doubt that over the past 12 months health care has 
been the most debated, discussed, and dissected issue, both on Capitol 
Hill and committee rooms and in living rooms and coffee shops all 
across America.
  Immediately after the President's speech I stated that Republicans 
are ready to work with the President to achieve the right kind of 
reform that built upon the best health care delivery system in the 
world rather than reform that destroyed it. I asked the American people 
to keep four key issues in mind throughout the debate. Those issues 
were choice, quality, jobs, and cost.
  After carefully studying President Clinton's health care plan for the 
better part of a year, the American people have reached a conclusion. 
Adopting the Clinton plan would mean less choice, less quality, fewer 
jobs, and greater cost.
  Once this conclusion became apparent, the Democrat congressional 
leadership did what they had to do. They went down to the White House 
and told the President his plan was dead. In its place however, they 
introduced a proposal which may not have had the President's name on 
the top but had many of his proposals and ideas throughout. In fact, 
Senate Republicans and the American people soon concluded that they had 
far too much in common--too much complexity, too much cost, too much 
bureaucracy, too much Government, too many mandates.
  And as the end of this session approaches the American people are 
telling us in overwhelming numbers--in my State a poll indicated that 
about 86 to 14 percent, 86 to 14 percent--that they want an opportunity 
to catch their breath. They do not want Congress to try to pass a 
massive health care reform plan in the final hours of the session, a 
plan that will have had no hearings, a plan no one had the time to read 
much less understand.
  Some in the White House and some on Capitol Hill are wringing their 
hands and saying ``What went wrong? What happened? What happened with 
health care reform?'' Some will try to argue that Bob Dole and the 
Republicans killed health care reform, that we are not sensitive to 
those without insurance, that we are not sensitive to those with health 
care problems.
  The fact of the matter is that throughout this debate--in fact, even 
before it began--Senate Republicans have offered solutions to help 
those in need. We worked to help those who cannot afford insurance. We 
have worked to help get those who cannot get insurance because of a 
preexisting condition, and we worked to help those who lose their 
insurance when they lose or want to change jobs. That is called 
portability.
  We have had a number of initiatives on this side of the aisle. First, 
the initiative by Senator Chafee and a number of Republicans, including 
this Republican; a proposal by Senator Nickles, which I also 
cosponsored; one by Senator Gramm; and later we put together a plan 
which 40 of our Republicans either cosponsored or said they would 
support; 39 cosponsors and one additional Member who said they could 
support. And I think maybe at this point it has probably more votes 
than any other plan in the Congress; any other plan in the Congress.
  No one claimed these plans were perfect. But they were substantive 
proposals to improve our health care system. But they were not allowed 
1 minute of real consideration. Despite the fact they would have 
improved coverage for millions of Ameircans they were considered by 
some to be too minimalist to be serious.
  One year ago today I said the Republicans were prepared to work with 
the President and our Democrat colleagues to give Americans the right 
reform. I meant it then, and I mean it now. The fact is, however, that 
from the first day of this debate the President locked all Republicans 
out of the process from the creation of the stealth task force to the 
introduction of his bill.
  I am also disappointed that the President did not respond to the 
suggestion I made literally hundreds of times over the past year. That 
was to pass a reform bill--we could have done it 6 months ago, or 8 
months ago. We could have done it a year ago today--which contains many 
of the provisions that were bipartisan which everyone in this Chamber 
probably agreed on: preexisting conditions, portability, malpractice 
reform, let small business go together; deductibility for the self-
employed, for ranchers and farmers. And these provisions would have 
made our system more affordable and more accessible to millions of 
Americans today.
  Some Democrats, including the distinguished chairman of the Senate 
Finance Committee, have suggested the same action. Unfortunately, at 
this late date I now find myself agreeing with the many who have 
suggested the time and the public's patience are too short for us to 
embark on this road.
  So what is the bottom line? Did something go wrong as the White House 
insists? Was the past year a waste of time? Did Congress fail the 
American people? I think instead of wondering what went wrong, it went 
right. The American people looked at it. They studied it. They 
listened. They heard the debate. And in overwhelming numbers time after 
time, survey after survey, they said no. They said no.
  That is what democracy is all about. If somebody has an idea, you go 
out and test it and test it and test it. And many of us I might add, 
including this Senator, have backed away from the positions I may have 
held a year ago on health care, and individual mandates. I thought it 
was a good idea. Nobody else did in the Senate Finance Committee, or at 
least only about four. And most of the American people did not like it 
either.
  So there are a number of provisions that many of us thought were 
good. The American people said they were not as good as they should be 
or not good at all. So it seems to me that what we have is not gridlock 
that defeated a Government-run health care bill, as some would have you 
believe. It was not a parliamentary trick that Bob Dole had up his 
sleeve. And it was not the pressure tactics of so-called special 
interests. It was not the persuasiveness of ``Harry and Louise.'' 
Anybody making those suggestions is guilty of political malpractice. It 
was a lot of other things.
  What finally defeated the plan was the overwhelming consensus of the 
American people from all parts of the country, in both parties, 
regardless of where people lived, hardworking men and women who raise 
families, pay taxes, and create jobs. That is what happened. A 
consensus was reached after very careful study.
  So we will be back with this. We are not finished with this. We know 
a great deal more about health care than we did a year ago. I think 
everybody has learned a lot, particularly those not on the Labor 
Committee or Finance Committee where most of the action is. I think we 
have learned a lot, and in greater clarity, about what the American 
people believe we ought to do. We ought to fix the serious problems in 
health care. And it seems to me that we will have that opportunity next 
year. We meet every year. We will be back in January, and you can bet 
that health care will be near the top of the agenda, no matter which 
party controls the Congress. Americans can count on the fact that 
Republicans will continue to fight for reform that guarantees the 
choice and quality Americans have come to expect. I will continue to 
oppose any health care plan to turn our health care system over to the 
Federal Government.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I appreciate the wit and wisdom of our 
minority leader, especially on that very important issue. I thank the 
minority leader, who is traveling to the wonderful State of Arizona, 
where he once attended school. He will receive a warm and tumultuous 
welcome there on Friday evening. I thank the minority leader.

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