[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 13, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H2568-H2569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DEMOCRATS LAUNCH HEALTH PLAN FOR CHILDREN, WHILE GOP LEADERS DENY 
                        CHILDREN BASIC NUTRITION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, last month Democrats urged Republican 
leaders to move forward on legislation to help provide health care 
coverage for America's uninsured children by Mother's Day. Instead of 
developing a plan for the more than 10 million uninsured children, 
Republican leaders have been outspoken in denying milk, formula, and 
other basic nutrition needs for approximately 180,000 children in the 
Women, Infants and Children, or WIC Program, that my colleague from 
Alabama just previously spoke about.
  Since the Republicans have failed in developing a plan to assist the 
Nation's

[[Page H2569]]

uninsured children, Democrats have taken the initiative and have put 
together a children's health care proposal which we unveiled last week.
  The proposal is called the Families First Health Care Coverage for 
Children, and it seeks to help those working families who do not 
currently qualify for Medicaid, because they are above the Federal 
poverty level, but are nevertheless without health insurance for a 
number of reasons.
  I would like to discuss, Mr. Speaker, this plan right now. It is 
basically a three-pronged approach. First, it encourages, but does not 
mandate, States to expand the Medicaid floor for health insurance for 
low-income children, while assisting local communities in developing 
outreach to the 3 million children who are uninsured, but already do 
qualify for Medicaid assistance. Now, what we found is that a lot of 
children are out there and qualify under the current Medicaid law, but 
are not taking advantage of it, so we do need an outreach program.
  Most children in families at low income levels currently receive 
their health care from the Medicaid program, and we are just trying to 
ensure that these low-income families do not fall through the cracks.
  The second prong of the Democrats' families first children's health 
care proposal creates a matching grant program for the States, and it 
is called Medikids. It is a grant program that will be targeted to 
those families, if we use a family of four, who make between $16,000 
and $48,000 a year. Medikids will give the States the flexibility and 
the additional moneys they need to be creative in meeting the needs of 
a State's uninsured children's population.
  Now, when I talk about flexibility, States can form public-private 
partnerships, use the money to build upon existing State programs and 
to create new initiatives unique to the State's own needs. Again, 
Medikids is voluntary to the States, but in order for States to qualify 
for the Medikids matching grant they must provide Medicaid coverage for 
pregnant women up to 185 percent of the poverty level and children 
through age 18 of families up to 180 percent of the poverty level, or 
$16,000 in a family of four.
  So what we are doing here, Mr. Speaker, is expanding Medicaid, the 
floor of the Medicaid Program, and then providing matching grants so 
States can go beyond that up to families of four with incomes of 
$48,000.
  Finally, I wanted to say that our third prong, which basically came 
from the gentlewoman from Oregon [Ms. Furse], who is part of our health 
care task force, this would seek private health insurance reforms and 
make it easier for families of all income levels to provide for their 
children's health care needs. It is not income-based.
  This third prong would require insurers to offer group-rated policies 
for children only, which means a relatively inexpensive health 
insurance policy. Additionally, families who qualify for health 
insurance under current law, the COBRA law, that cannot afford the 
premium for the entire family, will have the option to purchase a 
children's only health insurance policy. This last portion, again that 
was provided and suggested and is in a bill that the gentlewoman from 
Oregon [Ms. Furse] has introduced, basically benefits working families 
of all income levels.
  Mr. Speaker, I have to say that this Democratic proposal can all be 
achieved within the context of the balanced budget agreement that was 
announced by the President a few weeks ago. Democrats, I believe, Mr. 
Speaker, are moving forward because Republicans in effect are lacking 
leadership in this arena of children's health. I once again have to 
point out that instead of seeking a solution to children's health care, 
we see the Republican leadership determined to stop full funding of the 
WIC Program that their own Governors have requested.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out, the Democrats from last year, 
when we put forward our families first agenda, were trying to respond 
to the real needs of the average American family, and I think that is 
what this health care initiative does again. It addresses the fact that 
we have so many children out there who are not covered, who are 
responding to that need, and we hope we can get bipartisan support for 
this initiative.

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