FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Renae Newmiller
(202) 973-1376
Todd Irons
(202) 973-2927

Dingell-Norwood: "The Health Insurance Elimination Act Of 1999"

Statement by the Health Benefits Coalition

Washington, DC, August 5, 1999 –The bill announced today by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) and Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) is a threat to our private employer-based health care system and a threat to the health insurance of every working American. Under their bill, employers who voluntarily provide health insurance to their employees would be exposed to out-of-control lawsuits in state courts that could cost them their business and force them to drop health insurance altogether. Moreover, the bill’s heavy-handed government mandates would drive up the cost of health insurance to the point where few Americans could afford it, leading to millions more uninsured. In fact, for all the damage their bill would do to the nation’s health care system, it should be called the "Health Insurance Elimination Act of 1999" and will be vigorously opposed by employers large and small.

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The Health Benefits Coalition is a broad-based organization representing three million employers providing health care coverage to more than 100 million employees and families. The coalition believes affordable, quality health care is best achieved through broader coverage, choice and competition in the marketplace —not government mandates.