[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 2 (Thursday, January 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E85]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            KIDS, POVERTY, AND THE NEED FOR HEALTH INSURANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 9, 1997

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, this Congress must stop the rise in poverty 
among the Nation's children and--a related issue--stop the rise in the 
number of children who are uninsured.
  Two reports in December point to the magnitude of the problem--and to 
some of the solutions.
  On December 11, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported 
that nearly 2.7 million low-income children were eligible for Medicaid, 
but went without health insurance for all of 1994. In addition, 2.1 
million children who qualified for Medicaid, but were not enrolled, had 
some form of private insurance at some point in the year, but either 
were uninsured for part of the year or had inadequate private coverage 
that could have been supplemented by Medicaid.
  Mr. Speaker, surely this Congress can find ways to make the Medicaid 
program more usable and more automatic for the families of needy 
children. If Medicaid eligible children could be brought into the 
program, the rolls of the Nation's 10 million uninsured children could 
be easily and quickly reduced by 27 percent.
  In a second report, Columbia University's National Center for 
Children in Poverty found that nearly half--45 percent--of young 
children--those under 6--were in poverty or near poverty. Poverty among 
children = bad health and a lifetime of social and personal problems. 
As the report said: ``Young children in poverty are more likely to: be 
born at a low birthweight; be hospitalized during childhood; die in 
infancy or early childhood; receive lower quality medical care;'' along 
with numerous other problems. The list of problems facing our Nation's 
children of poverty could be addressed in some part if their parents 
had decent health insurance and could at least ensure that their 
children were not disadvantaged for life by an unhealthy start.
  We need health insurance for kids, so that their parents can ensure a 
better life for them--and for our Nation's future citizens.

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