[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 74 (Thursday, May 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H3396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               HMO REFORM

  (Mr. GANSKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. GANSKE. Mr. Speaker, I want to correct the record. The other 
night I gave a special order on HMO reform and inadvertently mentioned 
the NFIB. In fact, the results I mentioned were from the National 
Survey of Small Business Executives on Health Care by the Kaiser-
Harvard Program on Public Health and Social Policy. I was correct, 
however, in citing the numbers.
  When this group of 300 small business executives was asked if HMO 
reform were passed into law and would increase premiums by up to $5 a 
month, only 1 percent said they would drop coverage and 5 percent did 
not know; 94 percent would continue coverage.
  This cost is in the range of what I think my legislation would affect 
premiums. This is borne out by the CEO of Iowa Blue Cross/Blue Shield 
telling me that his plan is implementing the President's commission 
recommendations on quality and they do not expect to see an increase in 
premiums from that.
  Mr. Speaker, the opponents of HMO reform are trying to scare people 
about the effects of cost on access to care. I will be happy to share 
this survey of small business executives with anyone who wants to see 
some real data.

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