[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 30 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 30

  To express the sense of Congress concerning the provision of health 
                  insurance coverage to all Americans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 28, 2005

   Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Reid, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
 Feingold, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Dayton, Mrs. 
   Murray, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Corzine, and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  To express the sense of Congress concerning the provision of health 
                  insurance coverage to all Americans.

Whereas the United States is the only major industrialized country that does not 
        have universal access to health insurance among its citizens;
Whereas the number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily 
        over the past decade from 37,000,000 to 45,000,000;
Whereas 7 in 10 people without health insurance live in families where at least 
        one person works full-time;
Whereas 20 percent of uninsured Americans are children;
Whereas members of racial and ethnic minority groups at all income levels are 
        more likely to be uninsured than their White counterparts;
Whereas the percentage of private-sector employers offering health benefits to 
        retirees has declined by more than 40 percent since 1997 to just 13 
        percent in 2002;
Whereas in 2003, 1,700,000 veterans and 3,900,000 dependents of veterans did not 
        have access to health insurance or veterans medical care;
Whereas uninsured Americans receive less preventive care and are diagnosed at a 
        more advanced stage of disease than Americans with health insurance;
Whereas uninsured adults have mortality rates approximately 25 percent higher 
        than those of privately insured adults;
Whereas the financial consequences of uninsurance can be disastrous for 
        families, as demonstrated by a recent study that found medical problems 
        were a factor in nearly half of all personal bankruptcy filings;
Whereas the increase in average health insurance costs since 2000 was five times 
        the increase in average worker wages;
Whereas the total cost of job-based health insurance has risen 72 percent in the 
        past 5 years;
Whereas employers are struggling to keep up with rising health insurance costs;
Whereas a recent study by the Commonwealth Fund concluded that small employers 
        that provide health insurance to their employees pay more but receive 
        less for their money while suffering faster increases in premiums and 
        steeper jumps in deductibles than large firms;
Whereas the market for individual insurance policies can be prohibitively 
        expensive and allows for discrimination based on health status;
Whereas rising health insurance costs undermine United States competitiveness in 
        the global market;
Whereas despite spending the most per capita on health care ($4,887 compared to 
        Germany which is the next highest at $2,808), the United States ranks 
        12th out of 13 industrialized nations in 16 top health indicators such 
        as infant mortality; and
Whereas members of Congress and their families have the opportunity to select 
        among many benefit choices and to purchase high quality, group health 
        insurance coverage at reasonable rates: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That--
            (1) Congress should enact legislation that will ensure that 
        all Americans have access to affordable, quality health 
        insurance coverage by 2010, regardless of income, age, 
        employment or health status;
            (2) such legislation should utilize private and public 
        sector solutions;
            (3) rather than shifting greater costs to consumers, such 
        legislation should constrain underlying health care costs, 
        including by assuring appropriate utilization, and lowering 
        prescription drug costs and administrative expenses; and
            (4) such legislation should assure high quality health care 
        by promoting the utilization of information technology, 
        reducing medical errors, providing for care coordination, and 
        through other methods designed to improve quality.
                                 <all>