Charles W. Stenholm: “in an effort to keep health insurance reform moving through the legislative process, I rise with some reservation to…”

“in an effort to keep health insurance reform moving through the legislative process, I rise with some reservation to support H.R. 3103, the Health Coverage Availability Act of 1996. My record clearly reflects my strong support of health insurance reform. In addition to efforts on rural health issues and system-wide reform, I have worked for many years to make health insurance both accessible and affordable for millions of underserved Americans, many of whom reside in the 17th District of Texas. In one very recent example, I heard from a constituent who has been employed since 1954, working the last 10 years with her sister in a bookkeeping and secretarial business. At one point, she had hospitalization insurance, but the price of the policy continually increased to the point that she finally had to drop it because she could no longer afford it. She now worries about the health and economic vulnerability of her situation. While this legislation does not specifically address all of her needs, I believe certain provisions such as portability of health insurance, limitation on pre-existing conditions, increased tax deductibility for the self-employed, and guaranteed availability of insurance for small employers, are definitely steps in the right direction.”