Health Insurance

Floor Speech

HEALTH INSURANCE -- (Senate - September 25, 2008)

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am here today to talk about health insurance. A year ago, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I joined Senator Wyden and Senator Bennett in cosponsoring the Healthy Americans Act. The Wyden-Bennett bipartisan legislation offers elements that are consistent with a ``patient-driven'' approach to improving our health care system. A ``patient-driven'' approach means people can shop for their own health insurance in a competitive marketplace, which will allow them to choose the type of health care coverage that meets their needs. Many in the Democratic Party, including the Democratic Presidential candidate, want a Government-controlled system that is not ``patient-driven.'' This is a non-starter and is bad policy. And the majority of Americans do not want the Government making their health care decisions for them.

I continue to be interested in exploring ways to reform the health care system through the Tax Code. I am interested in examining whether Congress should offer Americans a choice between a tax credit and a deduction for health insurance. The Wyden-Bennett bill raises some tough questions that we need to explore as we look at health care reform. We need to determine the future role of Medicaid and SCHIP in our system over the long haul. We need to explore better ways to make the market work to hold down the rising costs of health care. And we need to find better ways to make health coverage more affordable and secure. This ``patient-driven'' approach--with insurance reforms and changes in the tax treatment of health insurance--should make health insurance more affordable for everyone. The goal should also be, if people are happy with their current health care coverage, they can keep it.

During my tenure in the Senate, I have sought to build bridges between Republicans and Democrats. I believe that there are times where Republicans and Democrats need to come together to produce results. Health care reform cannot be successful if it is not bipartisan. I commend Senators Wyden and Bennett for forging the only bipartisan effort in Congress to date.

As I did last year, I want to make clear that my cosponsorship of the Wyden-Bennett bill is not an endorsement of all that the bill proposes. Instead, I am cosponsoring this bill to add my voice to those who are calling for people to work across party lines to find innovative solutions that can work. While I support the ``patient-driven'' approaches in the bill, I have serious concerns about a number of the provisions of the Healthy Americans Act. For example, this bill would require all individuals to buy health insurance. I support accessibility to private insurance and differ with my colleagues on this point. Also, Senator Wyden's approach envisions a bigger role for Government than I would prefer. In addition, I certainly am not endorsing the repeal of the non-interference clause in Medicare Part D. That is not going to be on the table for me.

I also need to address a concern about the Wyden-Bennett bill I have seen pop up lately. These accusations are particularly troubling because I don't think they are accurate. It is true that the Joint Committee on Taxation has estimated the gross cost of the bill to be about $1.4 trillion annually by the year 2014. It is also true that the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the bill is fully paid for so the net cost to the Federal Government is zero. I have also read a concern that the Wyden-Bennett bill does not do enough regarding mandated benefits. The Wyden-Bennett bill reduces the impact of the myriad State mandates so that there will only be a much more limited set of requirements of a health plan much more consistent with what is already provided to Federal employees today.

Finally, I want to refute one particular charge regarding coverage of abortion services. The Wyden bill does not mandate that every American buy a health insurance plan that covers abortion services. This Senator supports legislation that protects life, and one only needs to point to my record in this area for evidence of that fact. I would not support a bill that requires individuals to purchase health insurance that covers abortion, or legislation that encourages women to seek abortion. And, while I agree that Americans deserve similar health care options that Members of Congress enjoy, I don't agree that Washington should mandate coverage of procedures that purposely end human life. Should this bill move forward, I will work with my colleagues to make sure abortion coverage is not made mandatory.

So my cosponsorship is not an endorsement of all provisions of the bill. Instead, I have cosponsored the Healthy Americans Act to add my voice to the bipartisan call for significant changes in our health care system. This is only one step in the process of the public discussion of ideas for improving our health care system. I also intend to continue working with Chairman Baucus and members of the Senate Finance Committee on his health care reform agenda.

We have serious problems, and we need to solve them. So it's time to get to work.

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