[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I heard what Speaker Gingrich said about 
the health care reform bill. My concern is that what he mentioned 
really is very far from the truth. The fact of the matter is the 
Democrats and Republicans want to see a bill passed that would increase 
portability and eliminate preeexisting conditions as a factor. But the 
Republican leadership has insisted on the poison pill of MSA's medical 
savings accounts.
  The effect of including medical savings accounts in this legislation 
is basically to drive up the cost of insurance for the average person. 
Instead of expanding the opportunities of health care coverage and 
eliminating the ranks of the uninsured, by including medical savings 
accounts only the healthy and the wealthy will be able to take 
advantage of that. The cost for the average person of health insurance 
will go up. Instead of having more people covered by health insurance, 
the effect is that there will be less and less people covered by health 
insurance because they will not be able to afford the higher premiums.
  The poison pill in MSA's is still there. The suggestion by the 
Speaker that somehow this legislation, if it includes the MSA's is 
going to solve the health care problem, is not true.

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