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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.
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