[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H305-H306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONSUMER-DRIVEN HEALTH CARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, it seems that tonight is health care night. 
We just heard from two of our colleagues from Texas, one of whom I 
agree with and one of whom on a lot of points I do not necessarily 
agree with. But, Mr. Speaker, I do rise tonight to express my deep 
concern over the high cost of health care and the toll it has taken on 
our families and our businesses and our economy.
  I was very encouraged to hear President Bush discuss the important 
issue of health care reform during a speech in Ohio today. A recent NBC 
news poll showed 76 percent of Americans believe health care reform is 
a top priority for our Nation and we absolutely must act to create a 
more transparent accessible and affordable system, as the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Burgess) just said.
  Before coming to Congress, I practiced medicine as an OB-GYN for 26 
years. I know that America has the best doctors, hospitals, research 
facilities in the world, but all of that is for naught if people, Mr. 
Speaker, cannot afford the care that they need.
  However, different Americans have different health care needs, and we 
cannot resort to a Hillary-care program, to a one-size-fits-all system 
of care. We rejected that in 1993, and we reject it here today in 2006. 
Instead, we need reform that allows Americans to be better health care 
consumers.
  When we shop for a new car or home what do we do? We compare prices 
to get the best deal and the best product. Health care should be no 
different. Too many Americans are paying the high cost of health care 
out of their own pockets, and the family budget is suffering. This is 
exactly why we need real practical initiatives like health savings 
accounts and association health plans, despite what the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Gene Green) just said. We need this to make health care 
affordable, portable and secure.
  The number of people that are buying high deductible health plans 
along with these health savings plans is not decreasing, as the 
gentleman suggested, but it is increasing. Three million today and by 
2010 14 million. I am very supportive and proud that the President 
talked about this and is going to expand health savings plans for the 
future. These initiatives will help businesses across America afford 
health benefits for their employees, which in turn will reduce the 
number of uninsured in this country.
  I am as concerned, Mr. Speaker, as all of my colleagues are of the 
fact that we have maybe 41 or 42 million people in this country without 
health care. But this is the way you get them the health care so they 
can get a policy with a very low premium that covers the catastrophic 
and they can stash away money each year in that health savings account. 
It can grow just like an IRA and they can use this money in many 
instances for medical care that is not covered under a traditional 
health care policy. I am talking about things like dental care, a 
hearing aid or visual care.
  So along with flexibility in our health care system, this is another 
very important point, and Mr. Burgess just spoke about that.
  We must be technologically advanced. You heard, Mr. Speaker, Chairman 
Dreier talk a little bit about job statistics and how we do not need to 
be using twentieth century machinations to determine what our growth 
and our job rate is. We need to have a better system that more 
accurately reflects the job growth in this country. It is the same 
thing with the health care system. It must be technologically advanced.
  Mr. Speaker, I recently went to Antarctica and, amazingly, I could 
get cash from an ATM machine with no glitch in Antarctica. But if I had 
fallen ill during my travels, the hospital

[[Page H306]]

there could not have accessed my medical records or known what 
medications I am on; and I happen to be on several heart medications.
  This is a recipe for disaster, and to fix this crucial shortcoming I 
have introduced legislation to increase tax breaks for physicians who 
invest in the new technology of electronic medical records. Physicians 
are more likely to adopt this new technology if our Tax Code helps 
offset the substantial, and they can be substantial, initial costs.
  We have seen the success of this tactic with other tax relief for 
small businesses. H.R. 4641, the Adopt HIT Act, will help our doctors 
save money, time and, most importantly, Mr. Speaker, save lives.
  Reforming health care will make coverage more affordable and 
accessible for both workers and employers, especially our small 
businessmen and women. But affordable health care is only half of the 
equation. After all, the most affordable health care in the world is, 
Mr. Speaker, irrelevant if a patient cannot get in to see a doctor when 
he is sick or visit the emergency room when he is injured.
  As a practicing physician for nearly 30 years, I have seen the 
results of our troubled medical tort system firsthand. In many 
communities, hospitals have closed, women have to travel across State 
lines for prenatal care, emergency rooms lack the on-call specialists 
they need to save lives. This should not happen in America, home to the 
greatest physicians in the world.
  I call on my colleagues to join me in the effort to create a 
consumer-driven system of care for our country.

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