Nancy Kassebaum

I understand how important the loan guarantee provisions of S. 1044 are to the health centers. The States are rapidly moving to managed care systems for Medicaid recipients. In order to continue serving these individuals and other…

I agree, that requirement goes to the fundamental nature and purpose of these important safety net providers. All of the health centers must serve all residents of the area served by the center, regardless of an individual's ability to pay…

The bill has been modified to ensure that this waiver will be in effect for the length of the community health center grant. Rural providers will not be required to repeatedly make their case to the Secretary over the period of the grant…

I believe most Americans realize that is so. Federal dollars in education are less than 10 percent of the education dollars spent in this country. Local and State governments spend, I think, about $508 billion in education. I happen to…

I suggest that we have been in the 104th Congress for 2 years. This legislation was introduced in the House some time ago. It would have been useful to us here in the U.S. Senate if this legislation had been before us prior to July 31. We…

My amendment is just saying that: It is the sense of the Senate that the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate, taking into account any relevant findings of the National Commission on Health Care Quality and other public and…

This legislation will clarify the intent of Congress that health risk pools should not be subject to taxation.

Regarding the Dorgan amendment, I would just say that I think we are better off the way things are than to try to develop a rigidity that I think would occur in the amendment offered by the Senator from North Dakota. It requires a…

I would just like to give an example of why there is concern. A National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge has handed down a decision in the long-awaited Polaroid case. The Polaroid Co. has been heralded as one of America's…

I wish I could support the amendment of the Senator from North Dakota. I think there is still some difficulty with it that we need to consider, however. But I want to assure you that the TEAM Act does nothing to change the ability for…

Just to respond, we have considered this in the last Congress as well. We have not had a full-blown hearing but it is something Senator Metzenbaum, as part of the Labor Committee in the last Congress, raised. It has been under…

This provision is meant to prohibit insurers or employers from excluding employees in a group from coverage or charging them higher premiums based on their health status and other related factors that could lead to higher health costs…

Congress intends that association plans may continue to do business as they always have, except that they must meet the same insurance reform standards as other health plans under the bill.

No. The bill does not require groups to form or join a purchasing cooperative. Nor does the legislation preclude any other type of groups purchasing arrangements from existing.

No. Health purchasing cooperatives are purely voluntary. Subtitle D is intended to create special benefits for cooperatives that meet the standards in the bill. Congress does not intend that these provisions in any way affect the legal…

The bill establishes standards regarding portability, renewability, and pre-existing conditions, but does not otherwise disturb the association plan world. States will still regulate and certify insured plans, and the Secretary of Labor…

I recognize it is just a sense-of-the- Senate resolution. But it is about 6 pages, and it is a fairly extensive direction for the next Congress. While there would be certainly a great deal of support for health care coverage for pregnant…

May I respond for a moment to the Senator from Minnesota, who is a valued member of the Labor and Human Resources Committee? When he mentioned the rate increase possibly coming if we do not cap any of the premiums, I would just say also…

I would like to express appreciation to the Senator from Utah, who gave such a very thoughtful opening statement, I think, by example, showing concretely why the provisions of this bill are important. I know that the majority leader, the…

I feel confident that Senators on both sides of the aisle want to reach an agreement on a substantial, constructive farm bill. Nothing is more important, and it is prime legislation. I feel sure that I can speak on behalf of Senators on my…

I have supported the limited use of vouchers for job training services but only as an option for the States. I think there is a recognition that there is a place, but we need to be careful on how we move in that direction. I have been very…

Just to clarify, displaced homemakers is listed in the bill. It is a category under ``dislocated workers,'' and that is true with the definition that I gave earlier. But it is a benchmark under the dislocated worker section as something…

I suggest that if it is only something the Senator is wanting to list as a permissible activity, we already do that under the Workforce Development Act. It is listed as a definition. It is included in the dislocated workers as one of the…

Well, I am very sympathetic to what the Senator from Ohio is saying. I have been a strong supporter of the displaced homemaker programs. But I think that under the language of his amendment, as I read it, it significantly expands the…