Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to say a few words about medical savings accounts. Unfortunately, medical savings accounts have fallen victim to partisan political posturing. That is unfortunate because MSAs will insure the uninsured, allow for choice of a doctor, and put the health care decisions in the hands of the individual, not a managed care administrator. Six years ago, along with a dozen of my Democratic colleagues, I cosponsored legislation to create medical savings accounts. In fact, Democrats were the initial sponsors of MSAs, and MSAs unanimously passed the House Committee on Ways and Means in 1994 during the debate on the Clinton health care plan. However, after the Republicans took over Congress, MSAs became a partisan football that was used to polarize the House of Representatives. But I want to make medical savings accounts a bipartisan issue once again. So the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Archer) and I have introduced H.R. 614, the Medical Savings Account Efficiency Act of 1999. This bill repeals the 750,000-person cap that was placed on MSAs by the 1996 Kennedy-Kassebaum Health Insurance Act and it makes medical savings accounts permanent, thereby repealing the year 2000 sunset of MSAs.”