[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 108 (Thursday, June 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       SENATE RESOLUTION 144--RELATIVE TO HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION

  Mr. WELLSTONE (for himself and Mr. Feingold) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Labor and Human 
Resources:

                              S. Res. 144

       Whereas the American people want and deserve the same high 
     quality health care as that received by Members of Congress;
       Whereas 41,000,000 Americans are uninsured, more than 
     11,000,000 of whom are children;
       Whereas children have accounted for the largest proportion 
     of the increase in the number of uninsured individuals in 
     recent years;
       Whereas the percentage of working people who receive health 
     insurance from their employer has dipped to its lowest point 
     since the early 1980's;
       Whereas thousands of the Nation's smallest businesses 
     continue to find the cost of health insurance out of reach;
       Whereas many employers who do provide coverage for their 
     employees have been forced to reduce benefits and increase 
     employee cost-sharing requirements in order to continue to 
     provide insurance;
       Whereas medical inflation continues to grow at double the 
     general inflation rate;
       Whereas choice of health plan and provider is becoming 
     increasingly limited for the vast majority of Americans;
       Whereas many American families continue to be subject to 
     discriminatory insurance practices and denied coverage due to 
     preexisting health conditions;
       Whereas the proposed $450,000,000,000 in medicare and 
     medicaid cuts may lead to increasing numbers of uninsured, 
     higher uncompensated health care costs, and severe cost 
     shifting to the private sector; and
       Whereas the status quo is unacceptable and the American 
     public continues to believe that major reform of our 
     country's health care system should be a top priority for 
     Congress: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that, by the 
     end of the 104th Congress, the Senate should pass health care 
     legislation to provide all Americans with coverage that is at 
     least as good as the Senate provides for itself.

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