[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 35 (Monday, March 5, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INTERCONNECTED: THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE AND INSURANCE REFORMS

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, health care continues to be an important 
topic in this country. A lot of people ask me, What keeps you awake at 
night? I'll tell you.
  Right now, the Supreme Court is going to hear this law. They could 
find the individual mandate is unconstitutional, and I hope they do. 
But what if they leave the rest of the law intact? Then we will have a 
real problem, and this House needs to be prepared to deal with that 
problem and lead on this issue.
  In recent filings by the administration, it's apparent that they even 
acknowledge the difficulties inherent in throwing out the individual 
mandate but keeping things like guarantee issue and community rating; 
and, in fact, they asked that these two codependent policies be severed 
under the law.
  States' attempts in the past to constitute guarantee issue and 
community rating have resulted in insurance costs becoming inexorably 
higher, the number of people who purchase insurance irrevocably lower, 
and, as a consequence, the entire system is at risk of completely 
imploding.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to be prepared for this. The Supreme Court is 
going to hear the case next month. They'll rule by the end of June, and 
this House needs to be ready to lead.

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