[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 13, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN SUPPORT OF COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE COVERAGE OF CHILDHOOD 
                       IMMUNIZATIONS ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 13, 2001

  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, vaccines have made dramatic 
improvements in the lives of children and adults in the last century. 
Scourges such as polio and small pox have been eradicated thanks to 
advancements in vaccine research.
  Childhood vaccinations prevent nine serious infectious diseases. 
Thanks to immunizations, children no longer have to suffer from the 
dangers of polio, measles, diptheria, mumps, pertussis (whooping 
cough), rubella (German measels), tetanus, hepatitis-B, and Hib (the 
most common cause of meningitis).
  Immunizations are not only sound medicine, they're sound public 
health policy. Over $21 are saved for every dollar spent on the 
measles/mumps/rubella vaccine. Almost $30 are saved for every dollar 
spent on diptheria/tetanus/pertussis vaccine.
  Unfortunately, many children do not have access to these life-saving 
vaccines. In fact, one third of two-year-old children are under-
immunized, and in some cities and urban areas, more than 50 percent of 
children are not fully immunized.
  Part of the problem is that nearly one in five employer-sponsored 
health plans do not cover immunizations for infants and children. 
Nearly one in four children in Preferred Provider Organizations and 
indemnity plans do not have coverage for immunizations.
  The Comprehensive Insurance Coverage of Childhood Immunization Act of 
2001 would addresses this problem by requiring ERISA governed health 
plans to cover vaccines for children under 18 years. Vaccines 
recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 
Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule must be covered.
  The federal government provides this benefit for its own workers, and 
twenty-four states have enacted laws to require state-regulated plans 
to cover vaccines. Unfortunately, ERISA plans do not have to comply 
with state laws. This legislation will ensure that all children, 
regardless of the type of insurance they have, will receive life-saving 
vaccines. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting immunization 
coverage for all children.

                          ____________________