On the recordMay 24, 2000
I was a reconstructive surgeon. I took care of women who had cancer operations, farmers who had put their hands into machines, children with birth defects. But when I was elected to Congress, I closed my practice, so I no longer practice, except for going overseas to do some charity work. So I want to say this because I do not have a personal interest in this legislation. My wife is a physician, but my wife is a salaried physician. So she has an exemption to this prohibition that we are going to be talking about, because for instance, as a salaried physician, she could join a union and collectively bargain. But this is what has happened. Let us say back in 1993 and 1994, when I was still practicing before being elected to Congress, in Des Moines, Iowa, there were probably seven or eight HMOs that were offering services. None of them controlled such a large market share that they could make or break a practice.
Source
govinfo.gov
