[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 31 (Wednesday, March 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 KIDS' HEALTH CARE MUST BE OUR PRIORITY

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, just 2 years ago in my home State of 
Massachusetts, 23 percent of children under the age of 18, or some 
160,000 kids, were without even basic health insurance. The people of 
the Commonwealth understood that this statistic was not only startling, 
it was absolutely unacceptable.
  So Massachusetts passed the landmark piece of legislation that is on 
the verge of giving basic coverage to some 125,000 kids, or 80 percent 
of the uninsured children in my State.
  By streamlining the administration of this program and by instituting 
a 25-cents per pack cigarette tax, Massachusetts has come up with more 
funds to protect children, and has become eligible for more Federal 
funding in return. Now Massachusetts is doing what every State in this 
Nation should be doing: covering children's health.
  But the crisis is not over. One child in seven living in the United 
States today is uninsured. That is absolutely unconscionable.
  Massachusetts should serve as an inspiration for the rest of our 
Nation. We in this Congress have an awesome responsibility before us. 
We have a responsibility to prepare our children to be the leaders of 
tomorrow by ensuring that they receive a healthy start today. Let us 
make health care for our kids a priority.

                          ____________________