Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Bills provide for small-business health insurance, long-term care

By MAC COLLINS
Congressman

Health insurance

On Thursday, with my strong support, the House of Representatives passed the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2003 (H.R. 660) in a 262 to 162 vote.

Over the course of my years in Congress, I have heard from a wide range of small business owners who are unable to afford health coverage for their employees. Having operated my own small business for over 40 years, I know, from personal experience, how costly it can be to provide health insurance coverage.

While the current system provides incentives for large multi-state corporations to purchase insurance through employer-based plans for their employees, these same incentives do not exist for small business owners and self-employed individuals. As a result, the self-employed, small business owners, and small business employees do not have adequate access to health care coverage. In fact, over 60 percent of the uninsured either own or work for a small business.

It is for this reason that I offered my support as an original cosponsor of this bill when it was introduced earlier this year. This bill would address this inequity by allowing small businesses and the self-employed to combine their resources with other businesses and individuals as members of associations.

By combining their resources, these Americans would be able to obtain coverage from Association Health Plans (AHPs). AHPs have been estimated to reduce insurance costs by 15 to 30 percent by allowing small businesses to join together so they can obtain the same economies of scale, purchasing clout, and administrative efficiencies now available to large employer and union health plans.

Long-term care

[Also last] week, I was proud to offer my support as a cosponsor of the Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2003 (H.R. 2096).

This legislation would provide a tax deduction for premiums for long-term care insurance and make it easier for more Americans to plan and save for their future long-term care needs.

In addition to providing a deduction for premiums, the bill would enable employers to offer long-term care insurance policies through employer-sponsored cafeteria plans and flexible spending accounts. As a result, more Americans will be able to know that, should they need long-term care in their later years, they will have the coverage they need.

WMD claims

I spent a good portion of last week in hearings for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The committee has been investigating intelligence provided by the White House and the Central Intelligence Agency which clearly shows that the administration operated in good faith with the American people in using military force in Iraq.

While much of what we have discussed is classified, I can tell you that the evidence I have seen in the committee clearly convinces me that Saddam Hussein was in possession of chemical and biological weapons, was working on obtaining nuclear weapons, and took elaborate steps to conceal the possession of these weapons of mass destruction from the international community and the United Nations weapons inspectors.

Iraq is a nation roughly the size of the state of California, and is inhabited by more than 24 million people. A small amount of these chemical and biological agents can potentially kill thousands or even millions. We are not talking about large warehouses full of agents, but a quantity equal to three tanker trucks, like those used to haul milk or gasoline we see on the roads each day.

When we put it into perspective, it is easy to see why we haven't found what the media call, "the smoking gun."

Very few people were permitted to know where these weapons were moved, and the very few records that existed have been destroyed either by the Saddam regime, in the bombing campaign, or in the subsequent looting of Iraqi military offices.

But, based upon the unprecedented access given to the Committee by the CIA, I am strongly convinced that the President was truthful in claiming that Saddam Hussein had illicit weapons of mass destruction, was capable of using them, and needed to be dealt with immediately.

Disabled vets pay

On Thursday, I became a cosponsor of HR 303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act. HR 303 will permit retired members of the armed forces who have a service connected disability to receive both military retired pay, by reason of their years of military service, and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I was a cosponsor of this legislation in the 107th Congress and through my membership on the Budget Committee, the U.S. Congress was able to provide funding to overturn a 111-year-old law which prohibited receipt of both military retirement and Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits for certain qualified veterans.

I will continue to be active in the debate to provide just compensation for our nation's disabled veterans. As a proud veteran of the Army National Guard, I understand the sacrifices that our veterans have made. Addressing issues that affect veterans and servicemen and women is one of my top priorities. I know that our freedom would not be a possibility without the prior service of veterans and our brave armed forces stationed around the world today.

Asbestos funds

[Last week] I introduced legislation to preserve funds to pay victims of asbestos. There are currently hundreds of thousands of individuals who have asbestos-related illnesses. Once a common material used in fireproofing, it was later determined that exposure to asbestos was a significant factor for the development of cancer and other illnesses.

Under current tax law, funds established to pay claimants are taxed at the corporate rate. This diverts money from the funds that should go to those adversely impacted by exposure to asbestos. Secondly, because many of these companies are facing bankruptcy, the number of contributors to the funds is dwindling. This places a larger burden on the remaining companies to pay claims, causing a domino effect on the number of businesses which are closing their doors. This threatens the ability to pay those who have legitimate asbestos-related claims.

The legislation I offered provides tax reforms on investments made by claim funds, exempting the investments made by the fund from paying taxes and leaving that money in the fund to be paid to claimants. It also offers tax changes to the companies as they emerge from bankruptcy, so that they can continue to be viable.

Not only does this increase the number of companies contributing to the claim funds, it allows the companies to restructure and continue to be viable employers and taxpayers. It is important that these companies, who no longer make this dangerous product, be allowed to emerge from bankruptcy so that those who have become ill may receive the settlements they deserve.

Family violence act

Last week, with my strong support, the House of Representatives passed the conference report for the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (S. 342) in a 421 to 3 vote.

Passage of this legislation continues to support efforts to prevent child abuse and family violence before it occurs.

Among its provisions, S. 342 continues to promote partnerships between child protective services and private and community-based organizations, including education, health, and mental health systems. Through these partnerships, families and children receive important child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment services.

In addition, the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the effectiveness of citizen review panels, which provide an evaluation of state and local child protection activities. These panels are comprised of volunteer community representatives who understand the needs of their local communities.