William M. Thomas

A key element of the Clinton plan is the herding of Americans into something called alliances. As you well know, the alliances are mandatory health plans, making illegal virtually all of the current health plans for Americans. If this is…

Mr. Stark, I did not ask you to cite their credentials. I asked you to tell me why.

If the gentleman refuses to means test millionaires for getting prescription drug benefits. I guess you have to look to other sources. I would prefer looking there.

Mr. President, price controls produce shortages, black markets, and reduced quality. Your plan, the Clinton Plan, sets the fees charged by doctors and hospitals, caps annual spending on health care, limits insurance premiums, and imposes…

What I agreed to was means testing Medicare, taking money away from people who are getting it now, who really don't deserve it, and giving it to the people who do, and I agree with the gentleman that those people need it. It is available…

Let us means test Medicare and give it to the people who really need the money. I am with you on that.

If you promise me that that is what we will do tomorrow morning in the Health Care Subcommittee, we can lock that up right away.

I suggest that we take a look at the way in which win money is currently spent today for those people who could otherwise afford their insurance but have Government subsidies for them. Let us begin with means testing Medicare, so that…

It is sufficient. Let me tell you, it is more than sufficient. The President has identified the money, $124 billion to provide new benefits for the entire Medicare population. All we are doing is taking that money and directing it to the 7…

Let us do it tomorrow. Let us take all of that money you are saving under the President's plan in cutting Medicare and pay for those people's coverage instead of giving millionaires prescription drug benefits, then,

The first thing you do is examine those 37 million to find out who could afford it, but given the failure to change insurance laws in the country today on a uniform basis, they refuse to do it. Find out those who are more than willing to…

No, that is the question. They can get insurance. It is not that they cannot get insurance.

Please, please, please. The 37 million uninsured are those that you said Government should support.

I would then like to say the question is when, how much, under what circumstances, who pays, and what are the consequences of all of those decisions.

If she is going to answer the question, she needs to respond to the question that was asked, not how they are going to pay it. What happens if they don't pay it. The question is what happens if they don't pay it.

No, we are talking about employees. Not unemployed. The employers pay 80 percent. Employees, workers of the employer, pay 20 percent. What happens if they don't pay their 20 percent under the Clinton bill?

The President's plan, the President's plan allows Congress to create the national benefits package. It is log rolling and pork barreling at its worst.

No. I am more than willing to share the reductions in Medicare squeezing out waste, fraud, and abuse just like the President does.

You said I misrepresented the President's bill. Was it the $124 billion that the President is going to cut?

The gentleman said I misrepresented the President's bill. It's $124 billion he's going to cut in Medicare?

The President cuts $124 billion from Medicare. He says he gets it from waste, fraud, and abuse, and what does he do with that money? He turns around and gives millionaires additional benefits----

Why does the President take from seniors? He has repeated over and again the Medicare structure is full of waste----

And what does he do with those cuts? He turns around and gives millionaires taxpayers' money to pay for prescription drugs.

With the President's cut in Medicare in his plan? It is $124 billion over 5 years in the President's plan----

May I answer the question? If you will take a look at the Republican plans and most specifically the plan that I carry as a sponsor in this House, we not only engage the problem of making sure that these teaching hospitals are adequately…