“The votes tell the story. On June 2, 1988, the House passed the Catastrophic Health Care Act 328-72. On Wednesday [October 4, 1989], the House voted to repeal it 360-66. Rep. Brian Donnelly, a Massachusetts Democrat who co-sponsored the repeal, saw the vote as evidence of a responsive Congress at work. ‘We made a mistake last year,’ said Donnelly, who backed catastrophic care the first time around. Even House Speaker Tom Foley, a man celebrated for his reasonableness, acknowledged last week that ‘in the future, the House will move very cautiously on any long-term health care proposals.'”
Excerpted from Steve Daley, “Rabid Eagerness to Please Becoming Theme of 101st Congress,” October 8, 1989, Chicago Tribune.
