E 892 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 1, 1995

Received 12 casualties, beginning at 10:50

a.m. One of the casualties was a veteran; two

were children, both of whom were treated

and referred to Children’s Hospital. Three

people were admitted to the hospital and discharged on April 21.

Sent a four-person triage team to the site

of the bombing immediately after the disaster occurred.

Sent 19 critical care nurses and emergency

employees to the closest hospital to the disaster, St. Anthony’s Hospital.

Sent triage supplies to St. Anthony’s Hospital.

Sent 14 crisis intervention team members,

primarily psychiatrists and psychologists, to

three assistance locations—the disaster site,

the American Red Cross and the First Christian Church.

At the request of the American Red Cross,

sent Dr. John Tassey, Director VAMC Behavioral Medicine Service, to serve as coordinator/liaison for Oklahoma City mental health

response coordination with the National

American Red Cross.

Set up offices for Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) operations on the first floor

of the VAMC. VBA Operations commenced at

9 a.m. on April 20.

Set up office space in the VAMC for two of

the forensic teams from the Public Health

Service.

VAMC Psychiatry and Psychology employees, including the Chief of Psychiatry Service, Dr. Charles Smith, answered telephones

for the American Red Cross Crisis Intervention Center continuously for 36 hours.

Set up a blood donor team to identify employees with rare blood types to be prepared

for requests for those blood types. Collected

blood donations from donors, some of whom

waited 5 hours to donate.

Sent chaplains for coverage in one of the

community clinic centers set up in local

churches on April 20–21.

Establsihed a VAMC-sponsored community

hotline for post-trauma counseling through

the American Red Cross. The American Red

Cross will issue the hotline number and the

calls will be referred to VAMC staff.

Will hold two ‘‘Group Counseling’’ sessions

on April 21 and 24 open to all VAMC employees. Will schedule additional sessions as

needed.

Sent 2 VAMC pathologists to the State

Medical Examines Office for assistance.

Sent Paul Farney, VAMC Supervisory

Technologist in Radiology Service, to the

State Medical Examiners Office to serve as

Coordinator for all city hospital radiology

technicians.

Sent 2 vehicles and drivers to transport

Radiology film for development at the

VAMC for return to the State Medical Examiner. The effort is anticipated to continue for

the next 6 days.

Assisted the State Medical Examiner’s office in leasing a portable X-ray machine, and

with procuring supplies and technical assistance.

Provided gowns, scrub suits, masks, gloves,

and jaw stretchers to the State Medical Examiners Office.

Dick Campbell, Chief Human Resources

Management, and Chairman of the Federal

Personnel Council, is organizing the effort

with other agencies to reconstruct the personnel records of Federal Building employees

whose records were destroyed.

Providing sleeping/showering facilities for

firefighters and rescue workers in the auditorium area of the Health Wing of the

VAMC.

Fred Gusman, M.S.W., head of the VA Disaster Mental Health Trauma Team, will be

reporting to the VAMC to provide mental

health counseling/coordination.

Established Oklahoma City Family Assistance Relief Fund at the Oklahoma Federal

Credit Union.

WHY WE NEED NATIONAL HEALTH

CARE REFORM: $38,696 FOR A

fHEALTH INSURANCE POLICY

HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, May 1, 1995

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, we didn’t pass

health care reform last Congress, but the need

for it didn’t go away.

I’ve just received a letter from a midwestern

family, which shows how the Nation’s insurance companies continue to behave in an irresponsible and capricious manner. This family

of four, which says they have less than average health care expenses, had been using the

COBRA health continuation provisions for 18

months at an annual rate of $5,556.97. With

COBRA expiring, they wrote Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. to ask about converting to an individual rate policy.

Following is their letter describing what happened. The company sent them a printed

sheet in which they were invited to continue

for the annual rate of $38,696.

Mr. Speaker, Connecticut General obviously

has no interest in writing policies for individuals. It met the letter of the law requiring that

COBRA enrollees be offered a conversion policy—but their offer is a joke and an insult.

When the Nation’s insurance companies

display this type of behavior, they are just

refanning the flames for health care reform.

The letter follows:

APRIL 21, 1995.

Re health care cost reform.

Hon. PETE STARK,

Subcommittee on Health, Ways and Means Committee, Longworth House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN STARK: I am writing to

you because I believe you would want information like this to help you make informed

judgments on health care issues that not

only affect me and my family, but affect millions of other people.

I believe it is federal law that requires insurance companies to offer group medical

conversion policies to individuals when they

are no longer eligible to be part of the group.

Surely that legislation didn’t intend to allow

for an insurance company, in this case Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, to

increase a family’s premium from $5,556.97

per year to $38,696.00 (over 590% increase)

with a higher deductible ($500) and lower

R&B daily limit ($250).

I paid a monthly premium of $463.08 for

eighteen months after leaving my teaching

position. When I was informed that I was no

longer eligible for the group, I requested and

received the enclosed conversion quotes. I

am sure that Connecticut General Life Insurance Company’s attorneys have assured

them that they are within the law when they

quoted such an unjust rate.

I would hope that Congress would review

and modify any legislation that requires

health insurance companies to offer conversion policies, but allows them to do so in

such an unconscionable way.

Sincerely yours,

——— ———.

Enclosure.

CONNECTICUT GENERAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, A GROUP MEDICAL

CONVERSION QUOTE—QUARTERLY

PREMIUMS

Rate quote for:———.

Your age: 54.

Your spouse status: Yes, age: 47.

You have: 2 children.

Today is: 03/02/95.

Effective date: 03/01/95.

Your ZIP: —

QUARTERLY COMPREHENSIVE PREMIUMS 1

R&B daily limit ................................. $100 $150 $200 $250

Surgical maximum ............................ 4,500 6,000 7,500 9,000

Deductible:

$100 ......................................... 9,959 10,363 10,787 11,208

$250 ......................................... 9,316 9,694 10,091 10,485

$500 ......................................... 8,596 8,945 9,310 9,674

$1,000 ...................................... 7,918 8,239 8,576 8,910

$2,000 ...................................... 6,915 7,195 7,490 7,782

1 Choose the benefit provisions from the top of the chart with the deductible from the side of the chart to determine the premium for your particular

plan.

QUARTERLY HOSPITAL/SURGICAL PREMIUMS 1

Hospital only:

R&B daily limit ..................... $100 $150 $200 $250

Premium ................................ 2,781 3,357 3,828 4,189

Surgical only:

Surgical maximum: ............... 2,400 3,600 4,800 6,000

Premium ................................ 159 238 317 396

Hospital and surgical:

R&B daily limit ..................... 100 150 200 250

Surgical maximum ................ 2,400 3,600 4,800 6,000

Premium ................................ 2,940 3,595 4,145 4,585

1 Choose hospital only, surgical only, or hospital and surgical as indicated

to determine the premium based on the benefit provisions.

PI KAPPA DELTA NATIONAL

TOURNAMENT

f

HON. IKE SKELTON OF MISSOURI

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, May 1, 1995

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to

recognize an outstanding group of students

from Central Missouri State University’s

forensics team. The forensics team recently

won the national 39th biannual Pi Kappa Delta

National Tournament. The tournament was

held from March 22–25, 1995 at Louisiana

State University in Shreveport.

Pi Kappa Delta is a national honorary fraternity that symbolizes the benefits of a forensics

education. Twenty-three students represented

Central Missouri State University in the competition. The team placed first in debate and

second in individual events, winning 32 individual event awards. This is the first national

championship in the team’s 73-year history.

I know that the Members of this body join

me in congratulating the Central Missouri

State University forensics team for their accomplishment. The students on the forensics

team should be applauded for all the hard

work, dedication, and perseverance it took to

win the tournament.