Orrin Hatch: “it has been a long journey to this moment in history, as we prepare to approve the conference agreement on H.R. 3103…”

“it has been a long journey to this moment in history, as we prepare to approve the conference agreement on H.R. 3103, the Kassebaum/Kennedy Health Insurance Reform Act of 1996, and send it to the President for his signature. What we thought would be a sprint because the ideas made so much sense turned out to be a marathon. As one of the original cosponsors of this important legislation, I am pleased the impasse which prevented this bill from moving forward has been resolved. After months of delay, the American people will soon realize the benefits of the time and energy that have been devoted in making this legislation a reality. The Republican leadership in the House and Senate are to be commended for their steadfast commitment to reach an agreement with the White House on such contentious issues as medical savings accounts, insurance portability, mental health parity, and advisory opinions. Overall, this legislation embraces many key elements of health care reform that have been pending in Congress for over five years, even before the 1994 health care overhaul proposal by President and Mrs. Clinton. In my opinion, H.R. 3103 is a good bill. It represents meaningful, workable, and targeted health care reform that will provide a significant measure of assistance to millions of Americans. The underlying insurance reforms included in the bill have now been enhanced by additional provisions that strengthen and improve the scope of the legislation.”