Sam Johnson

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, MSAs are important for more than half of the 43 million small business owners, their employees and their families, and in spite of what you say, the truth is that working-class people do use MSAs, and I am going to quote you. ``All three of us are working middle-class mothers, two of us are single moms, and we all have medical savings accounts that provide health insurance for our families. Our message to people in Washington is plain, unmistakable English that MSAs work.''

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly).

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, our opinion is that those health plans give people insurance, and they do lower the cost. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I will get it to the gentleman. I will tell him what he tells me: I will send it to you in writing. Mr. Chairman, let me say that it is unfortunate that the base bill we are considering does just the opposite of providing insurance for our people. We believe that creating association health plans and expanding medical savings accounts guarantees the access they need. Working together, it helps employees and employers lower the cost of health insurance and gets the benefits they may not have had. Increasing access to Medical Savings Accounts would help those people struggling to make ends meet. Medical savings accounts empower people to save their own money, tax free, for medical expenses in conjunction with a high deductible health plan. Health expenses can break the family budget. MSAs help cushion the blow. They help people get the care they need from a doctor of their choice or a hospital of their choice. The base bill does not do that. It is time to focus on the uninsured, focus on access and affordability. This amendment is good for America and the 43 million Americans who do not have health insurance. Do what is right. Vote for this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield the rest of my time to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Fletcher) and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control the time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. We have to work for our employees, those who are uninsured. I rise today in support of a hard-fought agreement that would give patients access to an emergency room, assure patients access to independent external review, and hold health maintenance organizations accountable for their actions. However, unlike Ganske-Dingell, the Norwood-Bush compromise does all these things in a responsible way. The Ganske-Dingell bill subjects employers to as many as 50 different external review standards and treats some patients better than others, depending on where they live. The Norwood compromise guarantees that employers and employees are treated equally no matter where they live. Unlike Ganske-Dingell, which would subject employers to frivolous lawsuits, this bill would protect employers from Federal lawsuits in all but the most extreme cases. Ganske-Dingell would also subject employers to lawsuits in 50 different States. This bill does not allow suits against employers to be filed in State court. Unlike the base bill, our bill assumes that employers or their agents are using ordinary care if the medical reviewer upholds their decision. It is time to put patients first. It is time to pass a patients' bill of rights that increases the number of Americans with health insurance. By the end of this debate, I hope to have an amendment included that would increase access to affordable health insurance to the 43 million Americans who currently do not have health insurance through the use of medical savings accounts or association health plans. Mr. Chairman, we must support the Norwood amendment. It is good for America.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed and I would claim the time in opposition.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read from a letter from the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, from a person who is a labor member there. They ask, how do the average monthly railroad retirement and Social Security benefits paid to retired employees and their spouses compare? The average age annuity being paid by the Railroad Retirement Board at the end of 2000 to career railroad employees was $1,760 a month, and for all employees, the average was $1,300. The average age retirement benefit being paid by Social Security was about $800 a month, and spouse benefits averaged about $530. So the Railroad Retirement Act does not need fixing, it needs support monetarily, and guess where they are going to get it? They are going to get it from the Social Security Trust Fund. Mr. Speaker, I would like to just reiterate that the President's proposals under this bill are violated. The bill demands using Social Security funds to subsidize other benefits. The Federal Government, disguised as the investment trust, would invest in the private sector, and also the bill would prohibit personal retirement accounts for railroad employees. Every one of us should vote against this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman from Minnesota oppose the bill?

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the comments the gentleman made, his father and previous people in his family. I love the railroaders. They are good guys. We ought to take care of them, but I do not think they ought to get extra dollars. The railroad trust fund gets roughly a $300 million subsidy from general revenues when income taxes on tier 2 private pension equivalent, which the gentleman is talking about, are returned to the trust fund rather than general revenue. No other Americans have the taxes on their pensions returned to their pension funds. The railroad retirement needed a $3.5 billion subsidy in 2000 from Social Security to stay afloat. I just find it hard to believe that you can say that you are looking out for them, and I hope you will, but to drop the age limit down to 60 when Social Security is up to 65 to 67, going to 67, it is hard to rationalize that. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that there are not a lot of other industries that have a retirement program such as this. The steel industry does not, and teachers and other people do not either. They pay into their own programs, but not into Social Security, for the most part. Social Security does not finance them. Let me make a point here that Social Security, according to the reform proposal that was handed out that goes with this bill and that has been occurring for a long time, tier 1 tax revenues are benefited by the Social Security benefit account. The Social Security benefit account also makes periodic transfers to tier 2, which is supported also by Social Security. So to say Social Security is not involved is a misnomer. The fact of the matter is, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) pointed out earlier that I have a military background, and I have to tell you, I am scared to death that we are neglecting our military. If we pass this thing, which is a $15 billion hit almost immediately, there is not going to be any money left for our military to survive. To me, that is what the Congress ought to be talking about, is protecting our Nation. I would like to add at this point that the Citizens for Sound Economy are urging a ``no'' vote on this bill, and they say, ``Perhaps the most troubling part of the bill is it pretends to pay for itself. The railroad retirement trust fund currently holds $15.3 billion in government bonds. H.R. 1140,'' that is the bill number, ``would cash them in and set up a new railroad retirement investment trust to invest the money in the stock market.'' They are going to score this as a key vote. I thought Members should know that. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman). (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in deference to my colleagues both on that side and this side, I appreciate their position on this, but I rise in strong opposition to the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act. This bill really is a fake, a fraud and a phony. It breaks every promise we have made to the American people and treats every other senior citizen as a second-class citizen. This legislation gives preferential treatment to a select few, 900,000 railroad people. It raids the Social Security-Medicare Trust Funds. It is absurd that the Federal Government allows one group of people to retire at age 60 while others will have to wait until they turn 65 or in the future, age 67, and this bill does just that. Under this fatally flawed legislation, railroad retirees will be able to retire at age 60 and receive Social Security equivalent retirement benefits. Every other American has to wait until at least age 65 to get full Social Security, and 67 for those that are following us. For the same group of railroaders, we have decided to break open the Social Security and Medicare lockbox to give railroaders their new benefits. Nobody can say with a straight face that this measure will not raid the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. A provision added to the bill today would direct the OMB to pretend that the bill does not cost anything. In reality, it costs $15 billion in the first year and an additional $7 billion over the next 10 years, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's own analysis cites that. Worse, the program is already receiving subsidies from the Social Security Trust Fund. Since 1958, the Railroad Trust Fund has needed money. The subsidy has been nearly $84 billion, and last year alone, the railroad retirement bilked $3.5 from the Social Security Trust Fund. In fact, the Social Security Administration spends more money on the railroad retirement system than it spends on all Social Security administrative costs, not to mention this bill sets a terrible precedent for the future of Social Security. Instead of private accounts, it puts the government in charge. The bill, as written, sets up a government-run investment board that makes decisions about where the money is invested. These are not private accounts, nor is there a private board making these decisions. The board is controlled by six railroad insiders, with only one representative looking out for the American taxpayer. In short, this bill allows the government to use tax dollars to play in the market. This is wrong. The Federal Government ought not be involved in the stock market. Railroad retirement benefits are substantially higher than Social Security benefits. For instance, on average, it gives career railroad retirement retirees more than double the amount of money per month than all other seniors collecting Social Security. It is wrong for the American taxpayer and the Social Security Trust Fund to subsidize these higher benefits. It is not fair to treat one group of retirees better than anyone else. To add insult to injury, this bill allows felons sitting in jail to receive railroad benefits. Why should they? Felons were eliminated from the Social Security program in welfare reform several years ago. What is next, telling all of the people with the letter ``J'' in their last name they can retire at 63.5? Lastly, the measure also violates three of President Bush's five sacred Social Security reform proposals. One, the bill demands using Social Security funds to subsidize other benefits. Two, the Federal Government, disguised as the investment trust, would invest in the private sector. Three, the bill would prohibit personal retirement accounts for railroad employees or retirees. Every one of the 407 Members of Congress who voted for the Medicare- Social Security lockbox ought to vote against this bill because this bill will raid Social Security and Medicare. Just last week the Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office both scored this bill at a cost of $15 billion in its first year; but all of a sudden today it now costs the taxpayer nothing. How can that be? How can we cash in $15 billion of U.S. Treasury bonds, and say that it does not have an effect on the Medicare and Social Security surplus. I just do not understand. Are we cooking the books? Call your Senator if you are listening, (202) 225-3121, to stop this fraud in America. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against raiding the Social Security-Medicare Trust Funds, and to vote against this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk about Benny Johnson, no relationship. Benny Johnson of Logic I sales in Richardson, Texas, employs 18 people and pays over $80,000 a year for health insurance for himself, his employees, and their families. Benny has paid for their health insurance for nearly 20 years. If health insurance premiums rise much higher, Benny is going to have to reduce benefits, drop coverage, or change plans, ending relationships with doctors they trust and know. Why would his premiums go up? Because of the McCain-Kennedy legislation in the House and Senate, which everybody knows would drive costs up. This potentially could add Benny and his employees, and their families, to the 43 million Americans without health insurance. It is just plain wrong. It has to stop. We have to think of Benny, his employees, and his families. Let us support the Fletcher bill.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when President Clinton took office, there were 38 million people uninsured. After 8 years, there are now roughly 43 million Americans who have no health insurance. Of those people, more than half of them are small business owners, their families, their employees, their loved ones. The goal of a patients' bill of rights should be to help these people get good health insurance and truly reduce the number of uninsured. One excellent way to do that is to expand Archer medical savings accounts. Increasing access to medical savings accounts would help those people struggling to make ends meet. Medical savings accounts help people get the care they need from a doctor they know. You choose your doctor. You choose your hospital. Increase the number of insured Americans. Support medical savings accounts and the Fletcher bill.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released last week shows that most Americans would oppose the McCain- Kennedy trial lawyers' bill because they know it would increase health costs. When asked point-blank if they are more concerned about suing HMOs or lawsuits driving up their health insurance costs, the majority of Americans said they feared the prospect of skyrocketing costs caused by lawsuits. This is yet more proof that Americans want a Patients' Bill of Rights that ensures they get the care they need from a doctor they know. Americans want, need and deserve health care reform, not a trial lawyers' bill that would drive people into the ranks of the uninsured. In short, I am with the American people who favor the responsible health care reform principles of the Fletcher-Peterson Patients' Bill of Rights. Under this bill, more Americans will be insured.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, with all this talk about a patients' bill of rights, the most important thing we should talk about, I think, is the working uninsured, those who have gone without, because none of these rights mean a thing if one does not have health insurance. I want to help the 43 million uninsured Americans, primarily small- business owners, their families, their employees, their loved ones, help them join the ranks of the insured. The goal of a patients' bill of rights should be to help these people. These are the people who need access to affordable health care. One good way to do that is to expand the Medical Savings Accounts, or MSAs. Medical Savings Accounts help people get the care they need from the doctor they choose. The GOP House bill, the Fletcher bill, is the only bill that totally opens up Medical Savings Accounts. Vote to increase the number of insured. Vote for our bill. It is the right thing to do.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this act will actually increase charitable giving. I want to focus on the value of individuals donating funds from their IRAs to charities once they reach the age of 70\1/2\. Permitting older Americans to roll over funds from a retirement account without the government getting a piece of the action is a major help for charities. When this bill becomes law, a $100 YMCA contribution will be a $100 contribution, not $85 because the IRS is not going to take their chunk out. Mr. Speaker, charities do remarkable things for our country. They change the lives and hearts of so many for the better. They feed the hungry, clothe the homeless, and assist the needy. Now is the time to help charities help those most in need. Let us help the charities keep more of their well-deserved dollars. It is the right thing to do.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for 8 long years, America has ignored energy. There was no energy policy at all under a Democrat administration. So I applaud President Bush for his courage to put forth a balanced energy plan. The White House plan conserves energy, protects the environment, and increases production. It is time to end our almost total dependence on foreign oil. As my colleagues know, almost over 50 percent of our oil comes from other countries. Not only is that a threat to our national security, but it affects our energy prices. Just look at California. Since California's Gray Davis failed to enact a plan that encouraged production, they are facing blackouts, high prices, and an uncertain future. Support the President's energy plan. The time is now. It is right for America.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is a tremendous honor for me to be here today to support the protection of our American heritage, a symbol and a reminder of our cherished freedom, the American flag. The flag is a symbol of the birth of this great Nation and the many wars fought to win our freedom. I spent 7 long years as a POW in Vietnam, half of that in solitary confinement. I think you heard the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) relate earlier the story of Mike Christian, who was beaten for making a flag. He sewed that flag to remind himself of home and the freedom that it stands for. It was a symbol and great comfort to all of us. As POWs, we would pledge allegiance and salute it each day. That tiny, tiny flag sewn together meant so much to us, far, far away from home, more than words can describe. I stand here today to honor all our military men and women who have fought throughout the years for this great Nation. How about the Marine memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial? Does that not mean something to you? I think that flag meant something to those boys that put it up there. The Middlekauff Ford dealership in Plano, Texas built a huge flagpole and put an oversized flag on it. Do you know what? Some of the people said, It makes too much noise when the wind blows. It keeps us awake at night. Do you know what Rick Middlekauff said? He said, ladies and gentlemen, that is the sound of freedom. And he left it up there, and they quit griping about it. It is something that I think that we must respect. We must treat it with respect and protect it from desecration.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, do my colleagues know what? Our taxes were lowered on July 1. That means we will take home more of our own money. We can thank President Bush for that. When I was home in Texas over July 4, I met Kris and Melissa Kelly who are constituents of mine, and I asked them, what are you going to do with that tax refund? They said they are going to put a down payment on a brand-new minivan for their family. Is that not what America is all about? Instead of allowing the Federal Government to keep our hard-earned money, creating new and expensive government programs, we gave the people their own money back so they can buy the things they need. So I salute President Bush for all he has done for the hard-working people of this great Nation. America really is a Nation of the people, by the people, for the people.