[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 45 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mrs. KENNELLY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, today we have a choice. We can take a 
simple, single step to ensure people who can change their jobs or lose 
their jobs that they can take their health insurance with them. Or we 
can let this simple, necessary piece of legislation get totally 
complicated in a maze of complications.
  It cannot be said too often. Everybody agrees that individuals who 
change their job should be able to take their health insurance with 
them. People who are in a job should not be locked in that job because 
they are afraid they will lose their health insurance. The President 
agrees. He said, I will sign Kennedy-Kassebaum, it is a good first 
beginning in health care reform. The other body agrees. They have 
passed a bipartisan piece of legislation. The House Democrats agree. We 
will offer a substitute today that contains the Kennedy-Kassebaum bill. 
It is a clean, a good bill. Even some House Republicans agree. The 
substitute that we will introduce today was introduced originally by a 
Republican.
  Mr. Speaker, there is one problem. Some people are not satisfied with 
fixing this problem. They want to add 10 new provisions in health care 
reform, 10 new insurance provisions that are too complicated. Pass the 
Kennedy-Kassebaum bill, begin health care reform.

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