[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 108 (Monday, July 28, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE

  (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, as budget negotiators work to finalize the 
details of our historic agreement, we must make bolstering children's 
health coverage for low-income children a top priority. It is 
unconscionable that the most developed country in the world has 10 
million uninsured children, including 167,000 in my State of Maryland.
  I strongly urge my conference committee colleagues to adopt the 
Senate bill's provisions which contain an additional $24 billion for 
children's health and the guarantee that the funds cannot be used for 
other purposes. We must also insist on a meaningful benefits package, 
including vision and hearing coverage. It is about time we used an 
increased tobacco tax to fund children's health insurance. Smoking 
dramatically affects children's health and drains our health care 
system. Raising cigarette taxes is one of the best ways to keep 
children from smoking, which translates into fewer deaths later in life 
from smoking-related illnesses.
  Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of uninsured children have working parents, 
and oftentimes these parents must choose between paying rent or buying 
private insurance or quitting their jobs to qualify for Medicaid. Let 
us seize this opportunity.

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