[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 30, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H7941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    INDIANA'S WAIVER REQUEST DENIAL

  (Mr. STUTZMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STUTZMAN. I rise today to express my extreme disappointment with 
the recent HHS decision to deny Indiana's sensible waiver request that 
would have allowed our State to ease into the new rule that requires 
insurers selling policies to individuals to dedicate 80 percent of 
premiums they collect to medical care. This decision was made on the 
basis that insurers doing business in Indiana were deemed ``profitable 
enough.'' CMS claimed that no provider would be forced to leave because 
of the denial of such a waiver. However, it was the very specter of 
uncertainty surrounding the President's health care law that resulted 
in five providers leaving the Indiana market this summer. Invariably, 
the departure of providers from our State and the denial of this waiver 
will limit competition and push prices higher.
  Let this serve as a warning to other States. Creative and consumer-
driven solutions to meet our citizens' medical needs will be 
disproportionately harmed under the President's denial of these 
waivers.

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