Mike Enzi: “I had hoped that the discussions that are happening on health care would continue to happen and that they would not be a…”

“I had hoped that the discussions that are happening on health care would continue to happen and that they would not be a focus of this particular bill. But, again, until we get some assurance that there is going to be a tax package that provides for some of the impact for small business, we will be discussing a variety of topics. I can tell by the amendments that have been put in. I need to do some clarification on this particular amendment. While I encourage people to keep working across the aisle on a whole variety of proposals, this particular amendment deals with helping to pay premiums for high-deductible plans in the individual market, not in the group market. This is in the individual market. I think everybody who works with health care pretty much agrees that one of the difficulties we have with health care is that primarily the premiums are paid for by companies that get a huge tax deduction for doing that. When the premiums are paid for that way, the insurance is paid for that way, there isn't nearly as much responsibility on the part of the individual to see that they are getting the best care at the lowest cost. It has allowed the system to blossom and grow. But this particular amendment deals with the individual nongroup market. At the present time, while we allow companies to deduct anything they put in for premiums, we don't allow individuals to do that. We do allow individuals to buy health savings accounts.…”