[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H1778-H1779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HISPANIC HEALTH CARE CRISIS

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, too many Americans 
continue to be uninsured and too many of those Americans are Hispanic.

[[Page H1779]]

  A recent study by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation found that over 
70 million Americans under 65 were uninsured for at least some time 
during the last 2 years. This is unfortunate enough, but the statistics 
are even more alarming when we look at the Hispanic community. In the 
last 2 years, over half the Hispanic population under 65 has gone 
without health insurance for some time. In California, half of the 
Hispanic population is currently uninsured.
  We cannot ignore the problem as a country, and I certainly cannot 
ignore it as a Californian. More Hispanics live in California than any 
other State, and they contribute to the State's economy and culture in 
countless ways. But there remains a huge disparity between the Hispanic 
population and the rest of the population when it comes to the 
accessibility to health insurance and health problems. Studies 
consistently show that Hispanics suffer disproportionately from 
diabetes, obesity, HIV/AIDS and asthma.
  We as policy makers need to commit ourselves to closing this gap. At 
a time when the economy has soured and the American families are 
feeling the effects, we need to bolster long-standing programs which 
have served Americans well. Medicaid is one of those programs. Instead 
of the current administration's proposals for tax cuts that will pad 
the pockets of the rich but will do little to shore up the programs 
that have served Americans admirably during times of economic downturn, 
the administration then turns around and tells our Nation's governors 
that there is no money to shore up these programs.

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