mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman for yielding me time .  as we all know , we are in a health care crisis and many propose many solutions .  but let us just find out the simple facts .  facts are , insurance ratings are really dependent on the notion that some people are higher risk than others .  those are the people that insurance companies love to insure .  they love to insure them because if they have low risk , every dollar that they pay in terms of premium is another dollar down on their bottom line of profit .  however , if you are unfortunate enough to be born with a congenital defect in your organs , if you are unfortunate to be run over by a car , if you are struck by some ailment that is out of any control that you have whatsoever , under the insurance system you are known as a risk .  simply growing old titles you as a risk .  do you think an insurance company wants to cover you ?  of course they do not .  this is a zero sum game .  if some get insurance , others get zero .  but the fact of the matter is we all pay .  the notion that some people are going to get away from paying , meaning some small businesses are going to get away from paying , is just hogwash .  the fact of the matter is , we all know that when we pay our premiums , we are paying for someone who is uninsured .  we are paying for someone who is underinsured .  the way out of this problem is not to escape giving people health insurance , which this legislation does .  of course it is going to be cheaper if you do not pay for care .  that should not be a surprise to any of us .  that is pretty obvious .  if you want to get lower insurance costs , let us just cut out treatment for cancer .  that will reduce insurance costs .  let us just cut out treatment for mental health .  that is just what this act does .  it says `` no state mandates '' which means all the provisions , for example , for pregnant women to be able to have at least 72 hours after giving birth , all those provisions that states have put in for consumer protection , are no longer there under this legislation because this obviates all those state requirements that the people want in their insurance coverage .  by joining the insurance pool of federal employees , we bring everyone under a community rating , which means that we all pay our share , irrespective of whether someone is healthy and young versus old and sick .  all of us should be paying our fair share unless you want to escape paying for the notion that there but for the grace of god go you .  the fact of the matter is there but for the grace of god go you , someone else , and i. all of us have an obligation to those who have needs that need that health insurance .  why ?  because it could be any one of us that is the person that is in great need .  and i do not think any one of us would be denied health care coverage simply because as a human being we have greater health care needs .  and that is why i believe people ought to support the kind substitute .  we ought to support people 's access to the same coverage all of us as federal members of congress receive .  thank you to my good friends , mr. kind  and mr. andrews , for yielding me this time to speak in support of this substitute , the small employer health benefits program , which will provide a real solution for many of the forty-five million americans without health insurance .  mr. speaker , our health care system is broken .  to live in a country as great and as wealthy as ours , and to have millions of hard working , employed americans who can not afford quality health insurance is inexcusable .  my friends from across the aisle would like the american people to believe that association health plans are the only available option to relieve the burden of increased health care costs on small business owners .  however , the fact remains that association health plans not only ignore the unique needs of small businesses , but will actually undermine our insurance system by allowing healthy individuals to opt out .  we should n't be making policy only for the fortunate .  we should be making policy for everybody .  the proposed substitute , the small employers health benefits program , would provide the same access to health benefits as the federal employees health benefits program , fehbp .  if we are not ready to provide an overall solution to the nation 's health care crisis , then why do n't we at least extend small businesses the courtesy of providing a plan that meets the same requirements that members of congress and their families currently enjoy .  my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are right about one thing , small business owners are facing a crisis .  now let 's provide them with a solution .  