[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 6, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H1719-H1720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, Democrats are uniting behind a proposal 
that would make modest but important improvements in America's health 
insurance. This is a bill that was sponsored by the gentlewoman from 
New Jersey [Mrs. Roukema] that would basically guarantee that insurance 
companies could not deny health insurance coverage for preexisting 
conditions and also would improve what we call portability, the ability 
to take your insurance with you or to guarantee that your insurance is 
renewed even if you lose group coverage.
  Today we have over 150 House Democrats who are cosponsoring the 
Roukema measure, including myself. We are challenging the House 
Republican leadership to let this bill come to the floor without 
loading it up with all kinds of other proposals that would make it less 
possible for the bill to pass. This is something that President Clinton 
endorsed in his State of the Union Address.
  The time has come now for bipartisan support for this health security 
and health insurance reform for all Americans. I call upon the House 
leadership to bring this bill to the floor so that we can see better 
guarantees that preexisting conditions would not prevent someone from 
getting health insurance and that someone who loses their

[[Page H1720]]

health insurance on the job can still get it in the individual market.

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