[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 120 (Wednesday, September 15, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1877-E1878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE BLOCKING RETURN TO WORK HELP FOR THE NATION'S 
                                DISABLED

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 1999

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, important health care legislation to provide 
work incentives for the disabled was unanimously passed by the Senate 
on June 16, 1999 (S. 331) and approved by the House Commerce Committee 
on July 1st (H.R. 1180) this year. Since then, this bill which was 
jointly referred to the Ways and Means Committee has been stalled and 
blocked. The Ways and Means Committee has done nothing to move this 
legislation forward despite the fact that this bill is good policy and 
has widespread support (229 cosponsors in the House and 79 cosponsors 
in the Senate).
  According to the Social Security Administration, 8 million people of 
working age now collect disability benefits under Social Security 
Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). 
While America's unemployment rate is the lowest in decades, the 
unemployment rate among working age adults with disability is nearly 
75%. H.R. 1180 will help the disabled re-enter the workplace, yet Ways 
and Means refuses to act.
  The current SSDI and SSI legislation forces the disabled to choose 
between work and health insurance coverage. The choice between being 
unproductive or uninsured is inherent to SSDI's and SSI's definition of 
disability which equates disability with unemployability. This is a 
distorted view in a world where individual worth and accomplishment are 
measured in the workplace.
  Surveys show that most people of working age with disabilities want 
to work; however, they are fearful of losing health care coverage if 
they seek employment and then lose their job. The result is that less 
than half of one percent of SSDI beneficiaries and only about one 
percent of SSI beneficiaries ever actually leave the SSA disability 
rolls to return to work.
  It is difficult to overstate the benefits associated with holding a 
job when you suffer from physical or mental impairment. The restoration 
of emotional wellbeing associated with feelings of self-worth and 
accomplishment causes a domino effect with a cascade of benefits that 
goes well beyond the monetary value of employment. It is well 
recognized that depression is endemic among the disabled and that 
depression frequently contributes to a downward spiral of hopelessness, 
helplessness and amplified symptoms. Doctors understand that there is 
no prescription in their medical bag that will remedy this vicious 
cycle; in the absence of a cure, what the patient really needs are the 
tools to adjust to chronic impairment.
  Today's challenge in health care is to empower each individual to 
live productively in the face of impairment. We cannot delude ourselves 
that medicine through research and clinical excellence will master the 
problems of death and disability. We cannot look to new miracles to 
prevent, cure and effectively treat every ailment. The reality is that 
improving clinical practice is likely to increase, not reduce the ranks 
of the disabled. We bear the responsibility to integrate individuals 
with impairments as fully as possible into the fabric of our society. 
Indeed, we cannot afford to squander the skills and talents of these 
individuals.
  The fact is we should not confuse the difference between impairment 
and disability.

[[Page E1878]]

Unfortunately, impairment is common and frequently permanent. 
Disability occurs when impairment has serious functional consequences. 
Our governmental programs should promote the realization of the full 
potential of the impaired individual, thereby minimizing disability. 
Health-promoting legislation provides incentives to return to the 
marketplace, providing a secure safety net for those who require it.
  The Work Incentive Improvement Act is one step in the right 
direction--empowering individuals with impairments by emphasizing new 
possibilities rather than lost potential. The Ways and Means Social 
Security and Health Subcommittees have lost their way if we do not 
grasp this important opportunity to acknowledge the value of disabled 
Americans.

                          ____________________