[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 8985-8986]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AMERICA'S UNINSURED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). Pursuant to the order of the 
House of January 20, 2004, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) 
is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this week Republicans begin an 8-week 
public relations campaign in an attempt to sell their special interest 
agenda to all Americans. Unfortunately, when Americans look beyond all 
the rhetoric, they will see the Republican proposals do nothing for the 
middle class. The so-called ``Hire Our Workers'' campaign begins this 
week with Republicans highlighting three pieces of legislation that 
they say will help the uninsured find insurance and middle class 
Americans better afford health care. But, Mr. Speaker, the Republican 
public relations effort is necessary because their health care 
proposals do no such thing.

[[Page 8986]]

  This week is ``Cover the Uninsured Week.'' But unfortunately, nothing 
the Republican Congress is proposing will help the more than 44 million 
Americans without health insurance gain any insurance. As health care 
costs continue to increase way above the rate of inflation, the 
Republicans' health care proposals this week do nothing to help those 
Americans struggling to pay these ever-increasing prices.
  The three health care bills that Republicans are offering this week 
are simply a ruse. Furthermore, each of these pieces of legislation has 
already been passed by the Republican majority and each of these bills 
have been proven to increase health costs, dismantle the employer-
sponsored health insurance base, and increase the number of uninsured 
Americans.
  Republicans will claim their Association Health Plan legislation will 
lower rates and provide greater access to insurance, but the reality is 
that AHP legislation would result in less health care access and 
dramatic increases in premiums for State insurance-based employers. 
AHPs would fragment and destabilize the small group market, resulting 
in higher premiums for many small businesses. And the Republican 
legislation would also allow employers to ``cherry-pick,'' attracting 
younger, healthier individuals to join AHPs, while leaving older, 
sicker individuals in the traditional insurance market which results in 
increased premiums for the remaining pool.
  Mr. Speaker, the Republican Health Savings Account legislation 
creates a tax-favored savings provision with no income limitations. The 
main reason Republicans want to pass this bill is to create a new tax 
shelter for the healthy and wealthy while, at the same time, 
threatening higher health insurance premiums for everyone else.
  The Republican PR machine will claim this legislation helps the 
uninsured by providing a tax credit that would allow the uninsured to 
set aside up to $2,000, tax free, in a new health savings account to 
supposedly help pay for health insurance. But unfortunately, it is 
highly unlikely that most uninsured Americans will be able to take 
advantage of this program, because they have an extremely difficult 
time saving $2,000 a year for health care.
  Mr. Speaker, the final component of the Republican agenda is medical 
liability reform. Republicans will claim that this legislation will 
address the sky-rocketing costs of health care, but Republicans are 
doing nothing to address spiraling insurance premiums for doctors. The 
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that ``Malpractice 
costs account for a very small fraction of total health care spending; 
even a very large reduction in malpractice costs would have a 
relatively small effect on total health plan premiums.''
  If Republicans truly want to help the uninsured and underinsured, 
they should set aside their rhetoric and pass three pieces of 
legislation introduced by the Democrats. First, the Family Care Act 
expands Medicaid and SCHIP to provide affordable coverage to about 7.5 
million working parents. Second, the Medicare Early Access Act provides 
coverage to 3.5 million people who are over the age of 55, but not yet 
eligible for Medicare, by allowing them to purchase Medicare coverage. 
And third, the Small Business Health Insurance Act creates a 50 percent 
tax credit to help small businesses with the costs of health care.
  These Democratic proposals not only offer significant reductions in 
the ranks of the uninsured, but also rein in spiraling health care 
costs to our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans deserve results here on the House floor. It is 
unfortunate that for the next 8 weeks, all they are going to get from 
the Republican majority is more political spin.

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