[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 135 (Friday, September 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              STATE AS LABORATORIES FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago the President challenged us to 
provide lifetime health care security to every American.
  Congress has been engaged in a nonstop health care debate over which 
model will work best, which will meet the goals of universal access, 
consumer choice, cost containment, and improve the quality of care.
  The Congress is deeply divided over which approach will work best: 
Single payer, health care alliances, managed care, insurance market 
reform. No single approach is supported by anything near a majority. I 
fear the next Congress will do no better. Yet while we dither, a number 
of States have worked to expand access and improve health care 
services, with no help from the Federal Government.
  Is it not time we got out of the way and let the States become the 
laboratories of health care reform, each testing their own approach 
until we can approve which reforms work best? Or better still, the 
Federal Government should help the States and encourage their 
innovation, with insurance reform, waivers and modest levels of Federal 
funding to support State efforts, to expand access, control costs, and 
improve care.

                              {time}  1030

  I am introducing a companion bill to one introduced yesterday in the 
Senate which will do just that. I urge my colleagues to drop the 
divisive debate and join us in passing this reform.

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