[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 14 (Thursday, February 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S1052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page S1052]]



              PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, over 2 years after the defeat of health 
reform in Congress, many opponents of change still claim that Americans 
are satisfied with their health care and view Federal oversight as the 
first step in a Government takeover of the system. They assert that 
minor tinkering may be needed to shore up some of the system's weak 
spots, but access to and quality of care in our country are the best in 
the world.
  If the public thinks the system isn't broken, so the thinking goes, 
there is no reason for lawmakers to try to fix it.
  But are Americans so happy with the current state of health affairs?
  Evidence from a recent survey suggests that there is still much that 
troubles the public about our current system, and they expect their 
elected representatives to help them address the problems they are 
experiencing.
  People are confused about how the system works; they are anxious 
about the cost of medical care; and they don't always feel they can 
obtain information to help them make sound health choices, get care 
when they need it, and be assured of quality.
  And contrary to the widely publicized view that most people think 
Government should not be involved in health care, a bipartisan majority 
of Americans feel that the Federal Government can play an active role--
working with the private sector--to make health care more affordable 
and improve its quality.
  These are the findings of a poll of American households commissioned 
by the National Coalition on Health Care. The bipartisan coalition, 
cochaired by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, is the 
Nation's largest and most broadly representative alliance of large and 
small business, labor unions, consumer groups, religious groups, and 
primary care providers.
  The National Coalition on Health Care's recent survey reveals a 
disturbing lack of confidence among the majority of Americans with the 
state and direction of health care. Eight out of ten agree that ``there 
is something seriously wrong with our health care system.'' Less than 
half say they have ``confidence in the health care system to take care 
of [them].''
  Not surprisingly, the poll reveals that lower-income Americans are 
particularly troubled by their experiences with cost, coverage, and 
treatment. Perhaps more startling is the pervasive concern of middle-
income Americans who also see major flaws in the system related to 
quality, access, and cost.

  While a majority feel that their medical plan works for them, 4 in 10 
report reductions in coverage. Medicare recipients are among those most 
satisfied and confident in their care.
  Perhaps most disturbing for the Congress is the coalition's focus 
group's finding that Americans believe improvements in the health care 
system have been held hostage to partisan politics. While Americans do 
not want Government involved directly in their health care, they do 
believe that Government has a role in protecting their interests.
  Americans have voiced their concerns and have asked for Government's 
help--not in delivering health care, but in giving them greater 
security about their ability to afford and retain health insurance. We 
should heed their call.
  Last year we passed the Kennedy-Kassebaum bill, which helped workers 
who lose or switch jobs keep their health insurance. This year, 
Democrats believe it makes sense to build on that success by giving 
working families financial assistance to help them insure their 
children.
  These children do not come from the poorest families, for the poor 
have Medicaid. The vast majority of the 10.5 million uninsured children 
in America are sons and daughters of working parents who do not have 
access to affordable coverage through their workplace. Though many of 
these parents work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, they are still not 
able to buy health insurance for their children.
  Yet we know that a little financial assistance goes a long way toward 
covering kids and saving health care dollars and precious lives down 
the line. Numerous studies confirm that uninsured children don't get 
the cost-effective preventive care they need and end up costing the 
system more in the long run, through more expensive emergency room 
visits, hospital admissions, and preventable chronic illnesses.
  The Government Accounting Office reports that uninsured children are 
less likely than those with coverage to get needed health and 
preventive care, and that the lack of such care can adversely affect 
children's health status throughout their lives. These children are 
less likely to have routine doctor visits or have a regular source of 
medical care, less likely to get care for injuries, see a physician if 
chronically ill, or get dental care, and they are less likely to be 
appropriately immunized to prevent childhood illnesses.
  Each of us already helps pay for these children through implicit cost 
shifting for uncompensated care. But we pay too much, and we get far 
too little. How much better it would be to help families obtain 
insurance for their children from the start; to provide continuous, 
cost-effective health care from birth through age 18 so that children 
can grow up healthy and maximize their potential.
  The Children's Health Coverage Act, S. 13, provides tax credits to 
help working families purchase private coverage for their uninsured 
children. There are many additional ideas being floated, from both 
sides of the aisle, to help families obtain coverage for their 
children. These ideas should be debated, considered, refined, and 
crafted into bipartisan legislation that can pass the Congress this 
year.
  The American public wants us to act responsibly on their behalf to 
assure access to quality health care at a fair cost. Now is the time to 
act on that charge. There is ample common ground on the issue of 
extending health coverage to children. Let's prove there is ample will.

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