Political Quotes

“it is a pleasure to rise as a cosponsor of H.R. 3103, the Health Insurance Reform Act of 1996. Over the last few years, the Senate has been on a long road on health care reform, and it is a matter of great satisfaction that we have finally reached this important milestone. H.R. 3103, the so-called Kassebaum-Kennedy bill, represents the core of market-based health insurance reforms on which there has always been wide agreement. The provisions of H.R. 3103 were, in essence, the heart of the Republican Health Care Reform bill developed in 1994 as an alternative to the big-government top-down Clinton health plan. The 1994 elections, which brought the first Republican majority to Congress in 40 years, provided a clear indication of the overwhelming rejection of President Clinton's plan by the American people. More than any other factor, it was the mandate of the 1994 election which shaped the policy that has guided this debate. I cannot praise highly enough the remarkable leadership brought to this legislation by the chairman of the Labor and Human Resources Committee, Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas. Her careful management has been discreet, thoughtful, responsive, and thorough.”