[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 23 (Thursday, February 27, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            KIDS HEALTH CARE

  (Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to help the 
10-million-plus children in the United States who do not have health 
insurance. Together we can help families help themselves by providing 
parents with a tax credit that will enable them to purchase health 
insurance for their children. When you really think about it, the 
current situation is unconscionable; 10 million uninsured children have 
to rely on emergency room treatment instead of their family doctor for 
treatment; 90 percent of these uninsured children have parents who 
work, but their employers do not provide health coverage for their 
children.
  Mr. Speaker, I think about the parents who lay awake each night 
wondering what they will do if their kids get sick. Caring for your 
children is perhaps the most basic human instinct and, as things stand 
now, millions of hard-working parents are having trouble providing 
health coverage for their children.
  We can help. Soon I will cosponsor a plan that requires insurance 
companies to provide kids-only health plans with tax credits to help 
families pay the premiums. I believe this is something Members from 
both sides of the aisle can agree on. It is not a new program. It is a 
program to help our children.

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