[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S144-S145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, children's health care coverage needs 
to be a priority in this Congress. We need to be committed to providing 
access to affordable coverage and care to all working families in 
America. We also need to provide coverage for uninsured pregnant women, 
in order to ensure that children get a healthy start in life. All 
children should have access to services that provide for their basic 
health care needs such as immunization, preventive services, acute 
care, and dental care services, regardless of whether they live in 
rural or urban areas.
  Employers are rapidly cutting health care coverage for children of 
their employees. When a family earning $16,000 each year is required to 
pay over 10 percent and sometimes as much as one-third of their income 
to purchase health insurance for their children, they are forced to 
make very difficult choices. They must choose between providing their 
children with basic needs such as food and shelter, and paying for 
health insurance.
  Health care coverage for children is an investment in the future. 
Children with undiagnosed or untreated health problems may have 
difficulty learning in school. A child with poor vision that has not 
been diagnosed or treated may be unable to see the blackboard. A child 
who is in pain from preventable tooth decay may not be able to eat an 
adequate diet, and the pain may make it difficult for the child to 
concentrate. A child with asthma who has poor access to care may spend 
many hours in an emergency department and many days in the hospital for 
treatment of problems that could have been prevented. This occurs at a 
significant cost not only in terms of dollars, but also in terms of 
lost opportunities to attend school, and loss of work time and income 
for the child's parents. These situations can be prevented with 
adequate health care coverage and access for children.
  Children in rural areas are especially vulnerable, as there are fewer 
services available in these areas, and some needed services are located 
at significant distances from their homes. In addition, these children 
often live in homes where their parents work for small employers, who 
are unable to offer dependent coverage at a low cost.
  Several States have demonstrated the cost savings available by 
providing assistance to working families. My home State, Minnesota, 
operates its own program that helps families buy private health 
insurance. Ninety-thousand people are covered, including 50,000 
children. Over the years, more than 41,000 families have used 
MinnesotaCare to leave or stay off welfare, saving the taxpayers $26 
million per year.
  It is essential that we address this issue and provide low- and 
middle-income families with the option to purchase affordable private 
insurance coverage for their children. These families must be provided 
with the means to purchase this coverage in a timely manner, so that 
they do not have to delay the purchase of coverage for their children.
  We need to build on successful private, State, and Federal efforts to 
help working families afford to provide health coverage for their 
children. Providing coverage for children through

[[Page S145]]

age 18 and pregnant women is the next logical step in incremental 
health care reform. It is sound policy and makes economic sense. It 
will ensure that all children in America have a healthy start in life.

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