Bob Kerrey: “I strongly support Senate passage of H.R. 3103, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. I am…”

“I strongly support Senate passage of H.R. 3103, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. I am proud to have been an original cosponsor of its predecessor, S. 1028, the Kennedy-Kassebaum proposal that was originally introduced in July of last year. Although I do not believe that this legislation is as strong as the bill that passed the Senate last April, these changes are still long overdue. As many as 25 million Americans will benefit from these modest yet meaningful reforms to the insurance market--as, for example, they move from job to job or lose employer-sponsored coverage as the result of corporate downsizing. This bill takes an incremental approach to health care reform by fixing the most egregious flaws in our employer-based health insurance system. I believe that we must move far beyond this bill, to comprehensive health care reform, in order to ensure that every American and legal resident knows that they have health insurance coverage. However, we must do what we can, now, to make the first needed changes to the American health care system. Right now, we can help the many Americans who are currently excluded from meaningful health coverage because they are subject to preexisting condition exclusions or are unable to purchase an individual policy. This bill will address these significant problems. This bill's great strength is that it will enable American workers to respond to our changing economy.”