[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8547]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH FAIRNESS ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2004

  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
``Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2004.''
  Today we introduce an important component of the Bush administration 
agenda--the ``Small Business Health Fairness Act''--to allow the 
establishment of certified, federal, association health plans (AHPs).
  AHPs will significantly expand access to health coverage for 
uninsured Americans by: (1) Increasing small businesses' bargaining 
power with health care providers, and (2) Giving employers freedom from 
costly state-mandated benefit packages. As such, AHPs will increase the 
number of insured Americans by up to 8 million people. According to 
figures released by the U.S. census bureau, one in seven Americans 
lacks health insurance.
  You might ask, just who are these uninsured?
  Well . . . they are working people who simply don't have access to 
insurance, can't afford it, or their employer can't afford to 
participate in a plan for them. Sixty percent--or 24 million--of 
uninsured Americans work in small businesses. Some of these people are 
offered insurance and turn it down because they can't pick up their 
part of the tab. According to the same census report, the increase in 
the number of uninsured comes solely from declining coverage in the 
small employer market. And there is no sign that the trend will 
reverse, or even slow. Health insurance costs are still rising and many 
small employers are forced to drop health coverage, while some cannot 
offer it in the first place.
  The cost-saving benefits of AHPs would help the small employers of 
Main Street access coverage at a more affordable price. Let's face the 
facts. Costs are rising, businesses are dropping coverage and more 
people are left uninsured. Congress must address the uninsured problem 
and move forward with increasing the insured through Association Health 
Plans. It's the least Congress can do to ensure that the American 
people will receive better health care at a more reasonable price.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation.

                          ____________________