[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 26907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         REPUBLICAN HEALTH PLAN

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Unlike any other industry or business in America, the 
health insurance industry is exempt from antitrust laws. That means 
they can and they do collude to drive up your premiums, to exclude you 
from coverage, to rescind your policy, a whole host of abuses. We do 
have a little bit of State regulation, but the Republicans are going to 
take care of that. They're going to create a new safe haven for 
insurance company abuses.
  Insurance companies will be able to offer national plans--that's 
their big thing, yes--but they can choose any State in the 50 in which 
to base that plan. And no matter where you live and no matter what the 
laws are of your State, if you've got a problem--if they've denied you 
coverage, if they revoked your policy because you got sick, all the 
other abuses that go on every day within the insurance industry--if you 
live in Oregon, you'll have to be talking to the insurance commissioner 
in Delaware or Mississippi with your complaint. And guess what? They 
don't have consumer protections there for health insurance. The States 
will provide and compete, some States, the lowest common denominator, 
the least regulation to attract this great new business of abusive 
health insurers.
  That's the Republican plan. They're always delivering for their 
buddies in the health insurance industry while the payments roll in at 
campaign time.

                          ____________________