[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 46 (Thursday, April 17, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN

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                               speech of

                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 15, 1997

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman 
from New Jersey, Congressman Frank Pallone, for sponsoring this special 
order this evening. I am pleased to join Frank and others as we discuss 
an issue of great importance to the Congress and this Nation. The issue 
under discussion is that of children's health.
  I want to use the time allocated to call attention to the millions of 
children who are uninsured. Just recently, the Democratic caucus 
children's health care task force convened a hearing which focused on 
the problem of uninsured children in America. According to the U.S. 
Census Bureau, nearly 10 million children across the nation, or 13.8 
percent of all children under the age of 18, are uninsured.
  The rate for African-American children without any health insurance 
at all is even higher, at 15.3 percent. Statistics further indicate 
that 2.9 million of those children are eligible for Medicaid but are 
not enrolled.
  Mr. Speaker, the urgency to insure these children lies in the fact 
that uninsured children are less likely than insured children to get 
much needed health and preventive care. The lack of such care can have 
adverse effects on these children's health for the rest of their lives. 
In my home State of Ohio, nearly 300,000 children are without health 
insurance. It is estimated that as many as a quarter of all children in 
Ohio may have been uninsured for at least 1 month over the last 2 
years. While the overall rate for the State is 9.6 percent, slightly 
less than the national rate, far too many children still remain 
uninsured.
  As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-Health 
and Human Services-Education, I know that the problem of uninsured 
children is taking a toll on many families across this Nation. The 
Congress must make this issue a top priority. We must be willing to 
explore the expansion of Medicaid eligibility, and reforms of outreach 
and service delivery systems in order to provide access to 
comprehensive health care services for uninsured children.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been said on many occasions that our children 
represent our future. It is time for the Congress to take action on 
behalf of our Nation's youth. I join Congressman Pallone and members of 
the Democratic children's health task force in urging our colleagues to 
move forward to insure and protect America's greatest resource--our 
children.

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