[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E751-E752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF 
          HEALTH CARE EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE COVERAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 2002

  Mr. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H. 
Con. Res. 271, a resolution calling on the President to designate a 
National Importance of Health Care Coverage Month.
  It is time for the leaders of our country to acknowledge that we are 
facing, in the near future, a nationwide health care crisis. This 
crisis will cut across all sectors. Seniors insured by the Medicare 
program and low-income children insured by the Medicaid program are 
facing severe cuts in nearly every state. Workers with employer-based 
insurance will face radically increased premiums, and the uninsured, 
who are already the most vulnerable will still be without.
  The Baby Boomers will soon retire and flood the Medicare program. In 
preparation for this long-anticipated event, Congress has set forth 
unrealistic budgets calling for severe cuts in Medicare reimbursement 
for home health care, hospital services and nursing home services. At 
the same time, some physicians are refusing to take new Medicare 
patients due to an illogical and unworkable reimbursement scheme.
  Hospitals are closing their doors across the country due to low 
federal reimbursements and lack of nursing staff. Recently, in my 
district, all but one hospital emergency room was declared ``on 
diversion''--meaning they were unable to take any more ambulances or 
emergency patients. Yet, the administration plans to cut the hospital 
update again this year. We must do all that we can to ensure that this 
does not happen. I want to enter into the record a letter signed by 
myself and 24 Blue Dog colleagues asking the Speaker to support 
adequate reimbursement to all Medicare providers.
  Think for a moment if our already crumbling health care 
infrastructure was challenged by a crisis--a terrorist attack resulting 
in a large number of casualties or a bioterror attack. The time for us 
to act--to secure our health care system, in terms of infrastructure, 
workforce and health insurance coverage--is now.
  Approximately 44 million working Americans are uninsured. We in 
Congress need to realize that continuing to ignore the problem of the 
uninsured in our country will cost us as a nation--in terms of overall 
health and financial security.
  The uninsured are more likely to delay doctor visits, delay needed 
care or choose not to receive that care at all. Last year, more than 
40% of uninsured adults delayed a necessary medical test or treatment. 
Twenty percent say that they needed, but did not get, recommended 
treatment last year. Many who received treatment did so at a hospital 
emergency room. A third of uninsured children did not see a doctor in 
the past year.
  Delaying, or not receiving health care treatment, can lead to more 
serious health problems. The uninsured are more likely to be 
hospitalized for avoidable conditions, such as pneumonia or 
uncontrolled diabetes. The uninsured who are finally diagnosed with 
cancer may often be in late stages or beyond treatment.
  In addition to health consequences, the financial burden on families 
can be severe. Debt due to high, unexpected medical bills is one of the 
primary reasons that families file for bankruptcy. Nearly 30% of 
uninsured adults say that medical bills had a major adverse impact on 
their families' lives.
  The burden falls on our local communities through our health care 
safety net--but that safety net is being stretched very thin. Community 
clinics and public hospitals in my congressional district, and all over 
the country, are straining under the burden of caring for uninsured 
Americans. Safety net providers, despite their good work, cannot take 
the place of quality health management and health insurance.
  We know who the uninsured are. And we know where they work. The 
statistics show us that, overwhelmingly, low income workers in small 
businesses are the most likely people to be uninsured. According to the 
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the working uninsured are most 
likely to be employed in firms with less than 25 employees.
  But we in Congress are not doing a good job telling small businesses 
about the tax benefits available to small business owners who do the 
right thing and offer health insurance. A study of employers 
commissioned by the National Association of Health Underwriters found 
that small businesses are not always aware of the benefits, tax and 
otherwise, associated with offering health insurance.
  Fifty-seven percent of small employers do not know that health 
insurance premiums are 100% tax deductible. Sixty-five percent of 
employers do not realize that health insurance premiums are treated 
like general business expenses with regard to taxes.
  I have seen the Child Health Insurance Program make a difference to 
kids in my district. But despite the success of the CHIP program, 26% 
of poor children and 16% of near-poor children remain uninsured. Nine 
million American children remain uninsured.
  Madam Speaker, it is time for our nation to address the health care 
crisis that is looming on the horizon. Congress needs to act 
immediately to ensure that our health care system is secure, by 
adequately funding and maintaining our infrastructure, addressing the 
workforce shortage, especially that of registered nurses, and ensuring 
that health care coverage is available and affordable for all 
Americans.
  This resolution is a small part of that effort. Today, we need to 
take the first step to make the public aware of the importance of 
health care coverage--to ensure that small businesses are aware of the 
benefits of health insurance coverage, and that parents know when their 
children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.
  Congresswoman Wilson and I are asking the President to designate a 
National Importance of Health Care Coverage Month to help bring this 
issue to the forefront of the national health care debate. During that 
month, I will challenge my colleagues to tell small businesses, parents 
of children and uninsured people in their congressional districts about 
the importance of health care coverage, the

[[Page E752]]

existing tax benefits of offering coverage to employees and the public 
and private programs for which they are eligible.
  Lack of information should not be an additional barrier to health 
insurance access. We must begin now.

                                      Washington, DC, May 1, 2002.
     Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
     Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

     Hon. Richard A. Gephardt,
     Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Speaker Hastert and Minority Leader Gephardt: We are 
     writing to express our dismay and disappointment in the 
     latest recommendation by the Administration to pit provider 
     against provider by using reductions to hospitals' market 
     basket update to restore payments to physicians. We believe 
     this proposal is short-sighted and ill-advised. While we 
     certainly agree that physicians deserve fair and adequate 
     reimbursement, the Administration's proposal jeopardizes the 
     health of patients, the viability of our communities, and the 
     financial stability of our hospitals.
       The problems facing the Medicare program will not be solved 
     without setting priorities and funding them through honest 
     budgeting. The assumption by the Administration that Medicare 
     will grow at a rate 10 percent less than projected by the 
     Congressional Budget Office, and slower than medical 
     inflation is irresponsible. Moreover, cutting Medicare 
     payments for one provider to give to another fails to address 
     the issue at hand: what are our priorities in the Medicare 
     program, and are hospitals and doctors among them? We believe 
     that they are both priorities and ought to be funded 
     accordingly.
       Therefore, we strongly disagree with the Administration's 
     recommendation to use hospital reimbursement as a ``cash 
     cow'' for other provider adjustments. Hospitals are not only 
     the backbones of our healthcare system, but they are also the 
     centers of our communities. We expect great things from them, 
     such as enhancing bioterrorism preparedness, implementing the 
     Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), 
     hiring and retaining essential nursing staff, and above all 
     providing timely, quality care to the patients they treat. 
     What they expect from their govemment in return is fair 
     reimbursement for the vital services they provide.
       Our Medicare providers are facing very real and very 
     serious circumstances, and we must answer them with serious 
     solutions. Should Congress consider Medicare legislation this 
     year, we urge you to support adequate reimbursement for the 
     healthcare providers in our communities. We look forward to 
     working with you to achieve this goal.
           Sincerely,
         Marion Berry, John Tanner, Max Sandlin, Mike Ross, David 
           Phelps, Adam Schiff, Ellen O. Tauscher, Jim Turner, 
           Charles W. Stenholm, Tim Holder, F. Allen Boyd, Jr., 
           Dennis Moore, Collin Peterson, Gene Taylor, Bud Cramer, 
           Joe Baca, Jim Matheson, Sanford Bishop, Jr., Chris 
           John, Mike Thompson, Ronnie Shows, Mike McIntyre, Ken 
           R. Lucus, Steve J. Israel, Jane Harman.

           

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