Gerald Kleczka: “Americans will today witness firsthand an overt effort by the Republican leadership to sink a much-needed piece of…”

“Americans will today witness firsthand an overt effort by the Republican leadership to sink a much-needed piece of legislation for the sake of preserving their cozy relationship with special-interests. A perfectly good insurance reform bill introduced by Senators Kennedy and Kassebaum and Representative Roukema in the House has been loaded with extra, controversial provisions that will make it difficult, if not impossible, to pass into law. While modest, the original bill could help 21 million Americans by waiving the pre-existing condition exclusions for individuals who have had continuous health coverage. As many as 4 million people who are currently 'locked' into their jobs for fear of losing needed health coverage for themselves or their family would benefit from the bill's national portability standards. Yet, despite the fact that this bill will benefit 25 million Americans, Republicans in the House do not support it. In the Ways and Means Committee, the Kennedy-Kassebaum-Roukema bill did not receive one Republican vote. Apparently, 25 million hard-working Americans are not enough to convince the GOP that we need this legislation. Evidently, unless it has the blessing of the Health Insurance Association of America it is not worth voting for. Why else would these Members condition their support for insurance reform on adding 'sweeteners' like medical liability provisions that limit the legal rights of malpractice victims?”