[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 24 (Wednesday, March 1, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H457]]
             HSA'S WILL CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS THAN THEY SOLVE

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, for 5 years there was a silence at the 
White House about the issue of health care and how it is deteriorating 
in this country. The access has gotten worse and worse and worse under 
this administration.
  The other night, in the State of the Union, the President, apparently 
the polling told him there is a problem out there. So he came out here 
with another one of his Band-Aids: Let's give everybody a health 
savings account. A more ridiculous proposal could not have been made on 
the floor to deal with the problems of average Americans.
  To expect average Americans to be able to put aside enough money to 
pay a $10,000 deductible and then buy a catastrophic plan is simply not 
from the real world. The average American in this country is fighting 
day to day, paycheck to paycheck, and our President comes up with 
another one of his tax giveaways to the rich.
  The only people who benefit from this are wealthy people who can take 
10,000 bucks out of their pocket and pay it when it comes due. We ought 
to stop that and start a debate in this House between the Democrats and 
Republicans. That is the only way we will get sensible health care 
coverage for all Americans. They deserve it.

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