Jack Kingston: “over the work week that we just had many people asked me, ``With the changing of the leadership of the Ways and Means…”

“over the work week that we just had many people asked me, ``With the changing of the leadership of the Ways and Means Committee, is health care dead or is the Clinton plan dead?'' And I said, ``No, we have 435 Members of Congress. There is a lot of depth there, there is a lot of knowledge, and there is a lot of ability there. I am confident that we can do things and do them right in terms of health care reform.'' But what I am not so confident of is a good bipartisan effort. I read that a prominent Member of the other body is introducing a health care plan, but it is a partisan type plan. We do not need that, Mr. Speaker. What the folks want back home is the best thoughts of the Republicans and the best thoughts of the Democrats, and let us put them together as the best package for the American people. I like the Rowland-Bilirakis plan. It has the elements of preexisting illness conditions, it has some antitrust for hospital reform, it has some tort reform, it has reductions for paperwork, and it provides some building blocks for long-term health care, particularly IRA rollovers for financing long-term health care. This is a good step. It will not do everything we all want done for health care, but it is a fundamental first step. I think what this body should do is take a very close look at the Rowland-Bilirakis bipartisan health care reform plan and move in the direction of health care reform and do it before we adjourn in August.”