[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S576-S577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S HEALTH COVERAGE ACT

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I also would like to address a bill 
introduced today called the Universal Children's Health Coverage Act, 
and I commend the Democratic leader for his commitment to this critical 
issue. I also thank Senators Kennedy, Kerry, and Dodd for their work on 
behalf of millions of children who lack access to basic health care 
coverage.
  As one of the newest members of the Labor and Human Resources 
Committee, I have been proud to work with them on the Children's Health 
Coverage Act, and I look forward to working with all of my colleagues, 
both Democrat and Republican, in the upcoming months on this very 
important legislation.

  Since first being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, I have heard 
time and time again the phrase, ``children are our most valuable 
resource.'' Sometimes, however, the actions of this body are not always 
as loud as the words we hear on the floor. If we all truly believe as 
strongly as I do that children are our most precious and valuable 
resource, why have we allowed so many children to go without basic 
health care coverage and why have we not worked harder to help families 
provide necessary health coverage for their children? We now have the 
opportunity to go beyond our rhetoric and work toward solutions.
  The United States has one of the highest rates of uninsured children 
in the industrial world. Currently, one out of seven children lack 
health insurance in this country. And if that trend continues, only 
half of our children will have health insurance by the year 2000. 
Today, 10 million children lack health insurance coverage, which means 
that 10 million children have little or no access to affordable quality 
health care coverage. One child loses private coverage approximately 
every minute. Children are the fastest-growing segment of society with 
no health insurance.
  It is easy to look at this problem solely in terms of numbers. But we 
also have to look at the faces of those children and their parents. We 
need to think of what it must be like to know that your child is 
suffering from an ear infection or strep throat and what it is like not 
to be able to afford to take them to a doctor or pay for the necessary 
antibiotic to treat the infection. There is no greater fear for a 
parent than not being able to take care of their sick child.
  These are parents who work 40 or more hours a week, sometimes working 
two and three jobs to meet the basic needs of their family, like food 
and shelter and utility costs. They are not asking for a handout. They 
are asking for relief. They work hard and they pay their taxes, but 
they simply have little or no discretionary income.
  Many do not have access to employer-sponsored health plans or cannot 
afford the premium costs for a family, which can be as high as $200 or 
$300 a month.
  As I travel around my home State of Washington, I have talked to many 
of these parents who feel vulnerable, and they are deeply concerned 
about the lack of health insurance for their children. They know that 
they are only one major illness away from financial disaster. They also 
know that their child is not receiving the kind of preventive health 
care so important to their development.
  We can all talk about the cost of the Children's Health Insurance 
Coverage Act or the financial mechanism, but we have to go beyond the 
simple calculations and look at the cost of not acting on this issue. 
Who pays for emergency room visits when a child is brought in with 
rheumatic fever? What is the cost of treating rheumatic fever as 
opposed to strep throat? What is the cost to the public health threat 
posed by a child that has not been vaccinated? What is the impact in 
the classroom of a child who is severely ill? What impact does this 
have on my child, the teacher, and the community? What is the cost to 
society for raising 10 million unhealthy children?
  We all agree that nutritional assistance programs like WIC save $4 
for every $1 spent. It is no different when examining health care 
costs. It is far less expensive to provide a child with a measles 
vaccine than treat a communitywide outbreak of measles.
  Ten million children without health insurance is a problem that 
impacts every single one of us, and we can pay for it now or we can pay 
for it later. It is just that simple. I believe that it is much easier 
and much more cost-effective to act now.
  According to the General Accounting Office, children without health 
insurance are less likely to receive timely preventive care and less 
likely to grow up to be healthy, productive adults. According to the 
Children's Defense Fund, uninsured children are more likely to need 
emergency room care at later stages of their illness and are more 
likely to require hospital admission. It does not take a health care 
expert to know that emergency room visits are, on average, twice as 
expensive as a doctor's office visit.
  On average, hospital costs for low-birthweight babies are 10 times 
the cost of prenatal care. Again, according to the Children's Defense 
Fund, every $1 invested in basic immunization of

[[Page S577]]

preschoolers saves $7.40 in direct medical costs.
  When we created the school lunch program, we recognized the fact that 
hungry children cannot learn and are disruptive to other children. The 
same holds true for sick children. A child with a fever of 102 and a 
sore throat cannot learn. If we hope to improve education in this 
country and work to ensure that American students can compete in 
tomorrow's global economy, we must first begin by guaranteeing that 
these children are healthy.
  The Children's Health Coverage Act represents a major step in the 
right direction. The legislation will provide eligible families a tax 
credit on a timely basis to cover health insurance premiums. It ensures 
that the tax credit covers a significant portion of insurance premiums 
for low-income working families.

  It guarantees them a market for private children's only health 
insurance by requiring insurers who participate in the Federal 
Employees Health Benefit Plan to offer these policies. It provides 
direct assistance to uninsured lower income pregnant women so that 
their child gets a healthy start in life. It ensures a comprehensive 
benefits package with a focus on preventative services, and provides 
coverage up to 18 years of age. It utilizes the private health 
insurance market, and it does not create a new Federal bureaucracy or 
entitlement, but builds on the success of several current State plans.
  I recognize that this legislation is only one possible solution. 
Within the next few weeks, I will be joining Senators Kennedy, Kerry, 
and Dodd in introducing a voucher-based proposal which will meet the 
same goals and objectives as the bill being introduced today, but it 
provides for a different approach for assisting families in purchasing 
coverage.
  The voucher-based legislation mirrors the plans currently utilized by 
14 States in their efforts to help uninsured children. One of these 
States is my home State of Washington, which has implemented a plan to 
help uninsured children receive vital health care services. Because of 
this commitment in the State of Washington, the number of uninsured 
children has declined. But the States cannot do it alone. And the 
Federal Government must ensure that every family, regardless of where 
they live, have access to affordable health insurance and that the 
benefits are comprehensive and include an aggressive preventative 
strategy.
  In the last Congress, we made a commitment to working Americans that 
they would not lose their health insurance coverage if they changed 
jobs or had a preexisting condition. The Kennedy-Kassebaum legislation 
will help hundreds of working families. Now we have the opportunity to 
build on this bipartisan legislation and work to help working families 
purchase health insurance coverage for their children.
  I know that my Republican colleagues recognize the urgent need to 
give our children a healthy start. And I ask that we use the bipartisan 
approach utilized in passing the Kennedy-Kassebaum bill to help all of 
our children. Both the Democratic and Republican leadership are pledged 
to improving the quality of life for families and putting families 
first. I can think of no better and important issue for American 
families than the health security of all of our children.
  In 1965, Congress made a commitment to our Nation's senior citizens 
that they would not have to go without health coverage. In 1965, we 
gave senior citizens access to affordable health insurance coverage to 
protect them from financial ruin and ensure a longer, healthy life. Let 
1997 be the year that we make the same commitment to our children.
  Again, I want to thank the Democratic leader for his efforts. And I 
am anxious to begin work on this important initiative and many others 
that are before us.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the remarks of 
Senator Frist, the Senate stand in recess under the previous order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. I suggest the absence of a quorum. I withhold that.
  Mr. FRIST addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
  (The remarks of Mr. Frist pertaining to the introduction of S. 146 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')