[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 2 (Thursday, January 24, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S103-S104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 94--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
  PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH CARE 
 COVERAGE IS OF THE UTMOST PRIORITY AND THAT A NATIONAL IMPORTANCE OF 
   HEALTH CARE COVERAGE MONTH SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED TO PROMOTE THAT 
                        AWARENESS AND EDUCATION

  Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Ms. Collins) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                            S. Con. Res. 94

       Whereas census estimates indicate that some 42,000,000 
     people in the United States are without health insurance 
     coverage, many of whom are among the most vulnerable and can 
     be financially devastated by serious illness, disease, or 
     accident;
       Whereas studies have shown that people with health 
     insurance are healthier than those who are uninsured and 
     receive care through emergency rooms or safety net health 
     care services, because the insured are entitled to, and 
     receive, more preventive care, follow-up care, and care for 
     chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure;
       Whereas over 17,300,000 of the uninsured are employed but 
     are not offered health insurance through their employers;
       Whereas such employers are small business owners who are 
     often unaware of the benefits of offering health insurance, 
     including that such benefits are tax deductible, reduce 
     employee turnover, and reduce employee sick days;
       Whereas over 16,000,000 people in the United States, more 
     than \1/3\ of the uninsured, are in families where at least 1 
     member of the family has been offered employer based health 
     care coverage but has declined coverage;
       Whereas many individuals are eligible for public assistance 
     programs such as the State Children's Health Insurance 
     Program, known as SCHIP, and the medicaid program, but are 
     not currently enrolled due primarily to lack of outreach, 
     education, and accessible enrollment processes;
       Whereas studies have shown that many individuals and small 
     businesses are unaware of the various options they have for 
     obtaining affordable health care coverage;
       Whereas surveys have shown that many individuals who cite 
     expense as the reason for not purchasing insurance find 
     insurance affordable once they are informed of the true cost 
     of various options; and
       Whereas education about health care coverage helps 
     uninsured individuals and employers understand the critical 
     value of health insurance as a preventive measure and the 
     ways to keep their health insurance premiums manageable once 
     they have health care coverage: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) a National Importance of Health Care Coverage Month be 
     established to--
       (A) promote a multifaceted educational effort about the 
     importance of health care coverage;
       (B) increase awareness of the many available health care 
     coverage options; and
       (C) inform those eligible for public insurance programs on 
     ways to access those programs; and
       (2) the President issue a proclamation calling on the 
     Federal Government, States, localities, citizens, and 
     businesses of the United States to conduct appropriate 
     programs, fairs, ceremonies, and activities to promote this 
     educational effort.

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution calling 
for the creation of ``National Importance of Health Care Coverage 
Month'' to call attention to the need for information about health care 
coverage options. I am joined in this effort by Senator Collins of 
Maine.
  A person's physical and mental well-being are fundamental to his or 
her ability to learn, to work, and to contribute to our society. For 
healthy communities, the health of our citizens is vital. It is a fact 
that people who have health insurance have better health; forty-four 
million Americans, however, do not enjoy the protection of health care 
coverage. This resolution calls for the promotion of a multifaceted 
educational effort about the importance of health care coverage; to 
increase awareness of the many health care coverage options already 
available; and to inform those who are eligible for public insurance 
programs on ways to access those programs.
  This resolution alone will not provide insurance to the millions of 
Americans who need it. However, it will draw much-needed attention to 
an issue that touches every citizen in every state.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with my colleague 
from Oregon in submitting this concurrent resolution expressing the 
sense of Congress that health care coverage is of the utmost importance 
and that a National Importance of Health Care Coverage Month should be 
established to promote awareness and education about the importance of 
health insurance coverage.
  One of my top priorities in the Senate has been to expand access to 
affordable health care for all Americans. There still are far too many 
Americans without health insurance. An estimated 42 million Americans 
do not have health care coverage, including more than 150,000 people in 
Maine.
  The simple fact is that people with health insurance are healthier 
than those who are uninsured. People without health insurance are less 
likely to seek care when they need it, and to forgo services such as 
periodic check-ups and preventive services. As a consequence, they are 
more likely to be hospitalized or require costly medical attention for 
conditions that could be preventable. Not only does this put the health 
of these individuals at greater risk, but it also puts additional 
pressures on our hospitals and emergency rooms, which already are 
financially challenged. Compared with people who have health coverage, 
uninsured adults are four times and uninsured children five times more 
likely to use the emergency room. The costs of care for these 
individuals are often absorbed by providers and passed on to the 
covered population through increased fees and insurance premiums.
  This is one of the reasons that the cost of health insurance has 
soared in recent years. In Maine, employers, and in particular small 
employers, have faced premium increases of 15 to 30 percent or more. 
This is a remarkable contrast to the mid-to-late1990s, when health 
insurance premiums rose less than 3 percent, if at all. Clearly we must 
do more to make health insurance more available and affordable.
  Since most Americans get their health insurance through the 
workplace, it is a common assumption that people without health 
insurance are unemployed. The fact is, however, that most uninsured 
Americans are members of families with at least one full-time worker. 
As many as 82 percent of Americans who do not have health insurance are 
in a family with a worker.
  In Maine, small business is not just a segment of the economy, it is 
the economy. I am therefore particularly concerned that uninsured, 
working Americans are most often employees of small businesses. Some 60 
percent of uninsured workers are employed by small firms. Small 
businesses want to provide health insurance for their employees, but 
the cost is often just too high. This is why I have introduced 
legislation with my colleague from Louisiana, Senator Landrieu, to help 
small employers cope with rising costs. Our bill, the Access to 
Affordable Health Care Act, will provide new tax credits for small 
businesses to help make health insurance more affordable. It will 
encourage those small businesses that do not currently offer health 
insurance to do and will help businesses that do offer insurance to 
continue coverage even in the face of rising costs.
  While costs are clearly an problem, knowledge should not be an 
additional barrier to health insurance access. Public education and 
awareness initiatives are also critical to the success of

[[Page S104]]

our efforts to expand health coverage. Many small employers are not 
fully aware of the laws that have already been enacted by both States 
and the Federal Government to make this benefit more affordable. For 
example, in one recent survey, 57 percent of small employers did not 
know that they can deduct 100 percent of their health insurance 
premiums as a business expense. More than 60 percent did not know that 
insurers may not deny them health coverage even when the health status 
of their workers is poor. Small businesses clearly need better 
information about health insurance, which is why public awareness, 
outreach and education programs like the one this resolution is 
promoting are so important.

  The same is true for our public programs. One of the first bills I 
cosponsored as a Senator was legislation to establish the State 
Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides insurance for the 
children of low-income parents who cannot afford health insurance, yet 
make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. This important program now 
provides affordable health insurance coverage to over two million 
children nationwide, including over 10,000 in Maine's Cub Care and 
expanded Medicaid program. Even so, hundreds of thousands of qualified 
children nationwide have yet to be enrolled in this program, many 
because their parents simply don't know that they are eligible for the 
assistance.
  The resolution we are submitting today is simple. It expresses the 
sense of Congress that a National Importance of Health Care Coverage 
Month be established to promote a comprehensive educational effort 
about the importance of health care coverage; increase awareness of the 
available health care coverage options; and inform those eligible for 
public insurance programs about ways to access those programs. The 
resolution further calls on the President to issue a proclamation 
calling on the federal government, States, local governments and 
businesses in the United States to conduct appropriate programs and 
activities to promote this educational effort.
  The resolution we are submitting today will assist in our efforts to 
expand access to affordable health care by helping small businesses, 
families and uninsured individuals learn more about health insurance 
and the various options which may already be available to them, and I 
urge all of our colleagues to join us as cosponsors.

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