[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15990-15991]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH FAIRNESS ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. PHILIP M. CRANE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2003

  Mr. CRANE. Madam Speaker, one of the biggest challenges facing our 
country today is the fact that nearly 41 million working Americans do 
not have health insurance. While some opt out of purchasing health 
insurance, a majority of people simply do not have access to affordable 
health insurance coverage. Routinely I hear from constituents in my 
district about this very problem. They are struggling to keep up with 
ever increasing insurance premiums and are left with few coverage 
options. Few can afford premium increases of 12 percent or more each 
year, especially in a slow economy. This is a problem in communities 
across the United States. In fact, the annual. cost to the United 
States for uninsured

[[Page 15991]]

Americans is estimated to be somewhere between $65 and $130 billion.
  More than 60 percent of the 41 million uninsured Americans work for a 
small business or are a dependent of a small business worker, and small 
businesses have been hardest hit by skyrocketing premiums. Currently, 
labor unions, medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies like 
Ford, Chrysler and Wal-Mart have the ability to offer health benefits 
to their employees without complying with the diverse benefit-laden 
insurance mandates that exist in each of the 50 states. This exemption 
keeps health insurance costs down. Unfortunately, small businesses, 
less able to shoulder the burden of such mandates, end up paying almost 
18 percent more than their big business counterparts for similar health 
insurance coverage. This is simply unacceptable.
  Today, I join my colleagues in supporting, The Small Business 
Fairness Act (H.R. 660). H.R. 660 allows small businesses to form 
Association Health Plans (AHPs). I believe that AHPs can help reduce 
the number of uninsured, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of 
this important legislation. By creating AHPs, small business may pool 
their resources and increase their bargaining power with insurers, 
which will allow them to negotiate better rates and purchase quality 
health. care at a lower cost. H.R. 660 is an important first step 
toward making health insurance more affordable and accessible.
  The time has come for all Members of this House to support small 
businesses. It is time to pass the Small Business Fairness Act.

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