[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 23 (Thursday, February 27, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H677-H678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HEALTH INSURANCE FOR CHILDREN

  (Mr. BLAGOJEVICH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLAGOJEVICH. Mr. Speaker, as a new father I can think of nothing 
more important than the health of our children. It is immoral that 10 
million children in this Nation do not have the comfort and protection 
of health insurance.
  In my State of Illinois, there are almost a half million children 
without

[[Page H678]]

health insurance. Many of their parents cannot afford to send them to 
doctors or dentists for regular checkups. In fact, doctors never see 
half of uninsured children with asthma or one-third of those with 
persistent ear infections.
  The answer is clear. Congress should encourage the creation of 
affordable kids-only insurance plans. Right now the United States is 
the only major industrialized Nation whose children do not have a 
guarantee of health insurance. With 10 million of our children 
endangered without insurance, think about it; 10 million American 
children have no health insurance. What does it say about us if we fail 
to act?

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