[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 45 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      REPUBLICAN ADD-ONS MAY DERAIL BIPARTISAN HEALTH REFORM TRAIN

  (Mrs. SCHROEDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, health insurance has really not been 
insurance for a very long time, because we have allowed those companies 
to refuse coverage to anybody who needs it. So today we have a great 
chance to do something about this. We have a chance to free people up 
who have been locked in their jobs because they do not dare lose their 
health insurance, and we have the ability of people to be able to port 
around their insurance coverage. And the Republican extremists in the 
House are about to derail this bipartisan train, this bipartisan train 
that came speeding out of the Senate, and this bipartisan train that 
the New York Times is talking about today, as they say, ``The House 
Republicans have added amendments that are not only bad health policy, 
but could delay passage of this useful health care reform.''
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is time we stand up and say to the 
extremists, ``Please, stop this. America has been waiting much too long 
for this portability and for having some price constraints, and ending 
the denying of these preexisting conditions as a way to shut you out of 
your health care. Stand up to the extremists, finally. Please, let us 
get some health care reform.''

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