[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 136 (Thursday, October 11, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF DR. ROGERS K. COLEMAN'S SERVICE TO THE HEALTH CARE 
                                INDUSTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 11, 2001

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, from small-town doctor to chairman of one 
of America's premier health insurance companies, Dr. Rogers Coleman has 
made countless contributions to the nation's health care system for 
nearly half a century. A staunch supporter of the managed care system, 
which has introduced disease management and helped control escalating 
health care costs, Dr. Coleman also has been a leader in forging 
partnerships between the public and private sectors to provide basic 
medical care benefits for all Americans.
  For 10 years, Dr. Coleman led Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas--
the state's first and largest not-for-profit health insurer--through 
the most progressive change and largest expansion in its 62-year 
history. For seven of those years, he oversaw significant expansion of 
the company's Medicare business. From 1991 to 1996, he led Blue Cross' 
transformation from a fee-for-service to a managed care organization to 
better meet the health coverage needs of Texans. During that time, the 
company expanded its HMO statewide and introduced PPO and point-of-
service coverage. Then from 1996 to 1998, he led the Texas Plan through 
significant regulatory hurdles to complete its merger with Blue Cross 
and Blue Shield of Illinois--quadrupling Texas' financial reserves and 
ensuring that for many years to come, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of 
Texas would continue to help meet the health care needs of Texas 
communities.
  As chairman of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) following the 
merger between the Texas and Illinois Plans, Dr. Coleman has overseen 
HCSC's acquisitions of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico and 
NYLCare's commercial HMO operations in Texas--increasing HCSC 
membership to approximately 7.4 million.
  Over the past decade, Dr. Coleman has made quality health coverage a 
top priority at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Under his 
leadership, the company has received five consecutive two-year 
accreditations from the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission for 
demonstrating a commitment to providing excellent service and quality 
PPO and point-of-service products. Over the past two years, Southwest 
Texas HMO and Texas Gulf Coast HMO have received NCQA accreditation for 
service and clinical quality that meet the NCQA's rigorous requirements 
for consumer protection and quality improvement.
  And much of Dr. Coleman's vision for a health improvement 
organization has been realized with the strides Blue Cross has made in 
health and wellness programs. Since 1995, he has overseen the company's 
development of a new maternity program, a nurse counseling service, and 
disease management programs for asthma, diabetes, hypertension, 
congestive heart failure and HIV.
  While Dr. Coleman has done much for HCSC during the last three years 
and for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas over the past quarter 
century, he will be most remembered for his efforts on behalf of the 
uninsured. As one of only a handful of doctors in America to head a 
health insurance company, he has been uniquely qualified to address one 
of the country's most difficult issues. He says that what he remembers 
most about his 18-year private practice in general medicine and surgery 
were the people who needed medical attention but had no health 
insurance.
  To help solve this problem, in 1991, Dr. Coleman spearheaded the 
effort at Blue Cross to establish the Caring for Children Foundation of 
Texas, which provided free outpatient health coverage to nearly 7,000 
Texas children whose parents could not afford such coverage. In 1997, 
he supported the company's effort to create the Texas Care Van Program, 
which has provided more than 70,000 free immunizations to medically 
underserved children and seniors in the state since it began. In 1998, 
he saw that Blue Cross became the first administrator of the Texas 
Health Insurance Risk Pool, a program that today is providing health 
insurance to 14,000 Texans who, otherwise, might not be able to obtain 
coverage.
  Dr. Coleman led the organization's 1999 media campaign in Texas' 
largest cities to address the unprecedented level of legislative 
involvement in the health care industry. Instead of more mandates that 
he said would worsen the uninsured problem and push the private, 
employer-based health insurance system closer to the breaking point, 
Dr. Coleman advocated innovative solutions like health insurance tax 
credits for the uninsured--an idea that is today clearly on the table 
in Washington.
  And last year, Dr. Coleman helped develop a proposal for the Texas 
Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Uninsured that would allow 
Texas workers to take their health insurance with them as they move 
from job to job.
  Although Dr. Coleman's accomplishments have been many and impressive, 
including the ``Award of Exceptional Service'' from Medicare, one 
wouldn't know it given his unassuming and gracious demeanor. He always 
has recognized others for their accomplishments, never failing to say 
thank you for even the most ordinary contributions. Ironic in a way, 
since for the last half century, his contributions to the health care 
field have been anything but ordinary.

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