[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 28 (Thursday, March 6, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  FIGHT FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago this country made a pact with 
our senior citizens. We promised our Nation's elderly that the Medicare 
Program would be there for them when they needed it most. Today the 
Medicare Program is one of our Nation's great success stories. Ninety-
nine percent of our seniors have health care coverage in the United 
States today.
  Last year Democrats stood up for our Nation's seniors and 
successfully fought to protect and preserve the Medicare Program. But 
surely our children are every bit as sacred as our senior citizens, and 
yet every day in this country another 3,300 kids lose their health 
insurance. This is a national crisis.
  It is time for the Congress to focus on this problem because it is 
not going away. In fact, it is only getting worse. We need to stand up 
and fight for the health of our children just as we stood up and fought 
for the health of our seniors. We must act today and move the expansion 
of children's health care to the top of our legislative agenda.

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