[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 52 (Thursday, May 4, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4045-S4046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COVER THE UNINSURED WEEK

  Mr KOHL. Mr. President, this week has been designated Cover the 
Uninsured Week. It is week that we mark every year to spur our Nation 
to act to address the growing number of Americans who lack health 
insurance. Sadly, that this has become an annual event shows that we 
have made little

[[Page S4046]]

progress. I hope this year will be different, and that the 
administration and the congressional leadership will finally make 
health care a priority.
  The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than 45 million Americans 
lack health insurance--that is one out of every six people. Wisconsin 
fares slightly better with 11 percent of our population without health 
coverage.
  These numbers have increased every year since 1999. All across the 
country, families and businesses are struggling to afford basic health 
care, and too many are losing the battle.
  Government joined the fray, with some success, in the past. In 1997, 
Congress created the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which 
led to the BadgerCare program in Wisconsin. Since SCHIP's inception, 
the program has provided medical coverage and care to millions of 
children throughout the Nation who otherwise would have gone without. 
In addition, States have stepped in to provide a safety net for the 
poorest of the poor through Medicaid and high-risk insurance pools.
  Despite these gains, many working families still need help. According 
to a report by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund, 41 percent of 
working-age Americans with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 a year 
were uninsured for at least part of 2005. This is a dramatic increase 
from 2001, when just 28 percent of those with moderate incomes were 
uninsured.
  This is an alarming statistic but not surprising. Skyrocketing health 
care costs have rendered insurance unaffordable to most families and 
businesses. In 1996, annual premiums for employers grew by 0.8 percent; 
by 2003, that growth averaged 13.9 percent. Last year, the average 
premium jumped 9.2 percent, and some areas of Wisconsin saw increases 
of as much as 24 percent.
  All employers struggle with the costs of health care, but none more 
than the small employer. Many have stopped offering health insurance 
altogether, swelling the number of uninsured full-time workers.
  Congress could help employers to continue providing health insurance 
by passing the Small Employers Health Benefits Program Act, which I 
cosponsored. The legislation, modeled after the health insurance system 
available to Federal workers, allows small employers to band together 
to purchase health insurance for their employees and negotiate better 
prices. It also gives employers a refundable tax credit to help with 
the costs of providing insurance for low-income employees.
  Helping employers afford health care premiums is only part of the 
answer; we also must tackle the problem of escalating health care costs 
driven largely by the rising cost of prescription drugs. Americans pay 
the highest prices in the world for medicines sold in other countries 
for a fraction of the cost. I support reforms such as allowing 
Americans to purchase less expensive prescription drugs from Canada and 
other countries with strong protections to ensure the safety of those 
medicines. I have also cosponsored legislation to speed to market 
generic drugs, which cost much less than their brand-name counterparts. 
And I believe we must allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug 
companies for lower prices for seniors participating in the new 
Medicare drug benefit.
  America is the leader of the world in health care innovation. We have 
the highest per-capita spending on health care of any developed nation, 
but we rank at the bottom when it comes to health insurance coverage.
  That is inexcusable. For too long we have said the right things, but 
failed to take concrete action. Let's make the next year different. 
Next year, we should spend this week celebrating real progress rather 
than lamenting another year of inaction. Another year of empty rhetoric 
and pointing fingers will get us no closer to the goal of ensuring all 
Americans reliable, affordable health coverage. I stand ready to work 
with those on both sides of the aisle who are interested in making a 
real difference in the coming year.

                          ____________________