[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E29]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE HEALTH INSURANCE FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, today I proudly introduce legislation of 
the utmost importance to millions of American small businesses and the 
self-employed. The Health Insurance Fairness Act will once and for all 
provide small business owners and the self-employed with the same 
health insurance tax benefits enjoyed by larger corporations--the 
ability to deduct 100 percent of their health insurance premium costs.
  Making health care costs fully deductible is not an arcane Tax Code 
issue known only to accountants and IRS auditors. This is an issue that 
touched the lives of millions of Americans who own or work at a small 
business. It is especially important to rural areas, like my district 
in southern Missouri, where small businesses and self-employed 
individuals, especially farmers and ranchers, form the backbone of the 
regional economy. However, they have too long been denied access to 
affordable health insurance for their families, children, and employees 
because the Tax Code makes it too expensive to purchase. The Health 
Insurance Fairness Act I am introducing today will help make health 
insurance more affordable to the self-employed, small business 
operators, their employees, and equally important, their families.
  The previous Congress took an important first step, Mr. Speaker, by 
enacting legislation to ultimately increase the insurance premium 
deductibility to 80 percent by the year 2006. Regrettably, this 
increase is phased-in too slowly, and will hamper the important work we 
must do to make health care less expensive and easier to get for all 
Americans--not through Government-run health care, but through private 
market incentives.
  The Health Insurance Fairness Act will increase the premium 
deductibility rate to 100 percent in the first taxable year after 
enactment. Millions of self-employed, small business operators, workers 
and their families will be able to immediately enjoy the security 
afforded by a health insurance policy. It represents the type of 
results-oriented legislation the American public has asked this 
Congress to produce, and I ask my colleagues to support this important 
measure.

                          ____________________