[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 101 (Thursday, July 27, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S8379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. 
        Sarbanes):
  S. 3747. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act and 
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide access 
to Medicare benefits for individuals ages 55 to 65, to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a refundable and advanceable 
credit against income tax for payment of such premiums, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, in 2004, 45.8 million Americans were 
without health insurance. That is 15.7 percent of our population, an 
increase of over 800,000 people in just one year. Yet this number 
doesn't even reflect the true extent of the problem, as at least 
another 16 million adults and children are underinsured. This means 
that even though they have insurance, they are not able to access 
quality health care when they need it because of high deductibles, 
soaring co-payments, and unreasonable health benefit restrictions.
  As I have said many times before, it is unacceptable that a world 
superpower such as ours has so many people that are uninsured. Lacking 
or having inadequate health insurance has been shown over and over to 
be associated with poorer health and quality of life. The uninsured are 
over 40 percent more likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast and 
prostate cancers and more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with 
late stage melanoma. They are hospitalized more often for avoidable 
conditions such as pneumonia and uncontrolled diabetes.
  The Institute of Medicine estimates that 18,000 people die every year 
because they lack health coverage. Thousands more suffer unnecessary 
pain and disability because they can't get the health care they need 
when they need it. We cannot allow so many of our fellow citizens to 
just fall through the cracks of a deficient health care system. We can 
and must do better.
  I have introduced several bills to this Congress to provide greater 
access to health insurance coverage in this country. These bills 
include the MediKids Health Insurance Act to improve coverage for kids, 
the TAA Health Coverage Improvement Act to offer insurance options to 
trade displaced workers, and the Small Employers Health Benefits Plan 
Act to offer more affordable health care to small business owners and 
their employees. Today, I join Senators Kerry, Kennedy, and Sarbanes in 
introducing yet another key piece of legislation to reduce the number 
of uninsured Americans--the Medicare Early Access Act of 2006.
  The Medicare Early Access Act of 2006, which has also been introduced 
in the House of Representatives by Congressman Pete Stark, provides a 
new coverage option for our Nation's near elderly. This legislation 
would allow people aged 55 through 64, who are not otherwise eligible 
for coverage under a group health plan or Federal health insurance 
program, to buy into Medicare. It also provides a 75 percent tax credit 
for Medicare early access premiums to make coverage more affordable for 
the broadest range of near elderly individuals.
  Insurance coverage for the near-elderly, the 29 million people 
between the ages of 55 and 64, is particularly critical. The near 
elderly are the fastest growing group of uninsured Americans--almost 
one in seven are uninsured. And, we know the risk of serious illness 
for adults increases with age, requiring more frequent contact with the 
health care system and the related financial obligations. Over 50 
percent of near-elderly Americans have at least one serious health 
problem, including diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease, heart 
problems, or stroke. Without adequate access to health care, these 
individuals typically delay care until more serious complications 
develop that could require high-cost hospital care or even lead to 
premature death.

  With job layoffs, early retirement, and the dwindling number of 
employers offering health insurance, the near-elderly now face greater 
hurdles to maintaining adequate health care coverage. In March of this 
year, a major American automotive company offered 113,000 of its 
employees up to $140,000 to leave the company with no claims to future 
benefits. It is predicted that more large employers will follow suit in 
the near future, while other companies continue to seek bankruptcy 
court approval to set aside long-standing benefit programs. The 
greatest impact of these types of buyouts and benefit restrictions will 
be on the near-elderly age group, who do not yet have the safety net of 
Medicare.
  Some of my colleagues might argue that Medicare buy-in legislation is 
unnecessary because the near elderly can get coverage in the individual 
market. I would say to my colleagues that the near elderly have an 
extremely difficult time buying insurance in the individual market. 
Because this group tends to have pre-existing chronic illnesses, 
private insurers often deny them coverage or offer them coverage at 
unaffordable rates. So the individual market actually fails to be an 
option for most near elderly individuals and they bear the risk of 
forgoing coverage altogether.
  Lack of insurance and gaps in coverage affect us all, not just the 
uninsured person in need of care. When an uninsured person goes to a 
hospital, clinic, or emergency room and cannot pay for the cost of his 
or her care, the unpaid balances are passed on to those who have 
insurance or other means to pay. Insurance rates go up as do our taxes 
to support public programs. Whether through higher insurance premiums 
or taxes supporting our public insurance programs, we all pay, one way 
or another, for not doing more to address the problem of the uninsured. 
Failure to achieve a solution now to this burgeoning problem will 
surely cost us more if we wait, both in human life and in dollars.
  The Medicare Early Access Act of 2006 may not be the total solution 
to solving America's crisis of the uninsured, but it is an earnest 
attempt to address the problem of the health care access for one of the 
most vulnerable segments of our population-the near elderly. These 
individuals often have the greatest need and the least choice when it 
comes to affordable health insurance coverage. By offering the near-
elderly access to comprehensive health benefits through Medicare, we 
can hopefully reduce the long-term costs to our health care system. I 
urge my colleagues to join us in taking this important step toward 
making health insurance and personal dignity a reality for all 
Americans.
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