SENATORS CRITICIZE REFORM MEASURE

A tome that contains 1,400 pages of complex health-care reform is more than U.S. Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., and Mitch McConnell, R.-Ky., can stomach.

Neither Bond nor McConnell will endorse the Clinton-Mitchell health-care reform package, because they said it gives too much power to Washington while it takes decision-making away from the American public.

Both senators predict the issue is too complex to push through Congress without making major changes.

"The way it is right now, the Clinton-Mitchell health package wouldn't get the 50 votes needed in Congress," said Bond, who joined McConnell at Cape Girardeau's St. Francis Medical Center for a press conference Sunday. "I think President Clinton is trying to get this pushed through in order to use it as a trophy in November."

Something that deals with one-seventh of the nation's economy warrants more serious study, said Bond.

"People are just not going to accept the bureaucracy of this kind of health-care package because it is telling them what kind of coverage they will have," said Bond. "People have the right to decide for themselves what kind of coverage they need. It's up to us to make coverage available to all Americans, not tell them what they need."

McConnell said the Clinton-Mitchell package will force people to pay more for less, in terms of health-care coverage. He said Bond's reform package would eliminate much of the complexity of such a plan.

Bond would like to change tax codes to enable taxpayers to hold more of their money, which then could be applied to their own health insurance.

"By doing that you can give the American farmer or someone with moderate to low income the same chance to have health care as someone who works for a big corporation," said Bond.

The Senator also has stressed the need for malpractice reform, something the Clinton-Mitchell plan repeals. "It just doesn't make any sense," Bond said.