[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H4034-H4035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HEALTH CARE UNINSURED AWARENESS WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H4035]]

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, this is Health Care Uninsured Awareness 
Week. The number of Americans without health insurance has grown about 
5 million since President Bush took office. The health care crisis is 
America's single largest domestic issue, but the President has offered 
Band-Aids to cover his lack of leadership. And the people have noticed. 
Nine out of ten Americans told a recent CBS/New York Times poll that 
the American health care system needs to be completely rebuilt.
  Today, the number of Americans without any health insurance surpasses 
the combined population of 24 U.S. States: Alaska, Arkansas, 
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, 
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, 
Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West 
Virginia, and Wyoming. That is the population without health insurance.
  But the crisis is even worse than that. Millions of Americans are 
underinsured, and millions more can't afford the copay, or have to 
fight constant battles with the big drug companies and the HMOs.
  In Seattle, my congressional district, here is what one constituent 
wrote to Health Care for All Washington, one of the organizations I 
work closely with:
  ``My dad has prostate cancer and has taken a turn for the worse. We 
had to postpone a quarterly injection of his drug because we are having 
trouble with the health insurance over the cost of the drug. It has 
been extremely frustrating as the insurance company has the drug in the 
wrong category. They sent us a letter admitting as much, but every 3 
months we have to fight with them again, anywhere from $180 to $1,800. 
Anyway, since we postponed it, my dad has suffered.''
  Does that sound familiar?
  The pain inflicted by the health care crisis is hurting families 
across the United States. According to the Census Bureau, almost one-
third of Latinos are uninsured, one-fifth of African Americans, 15 
percent of children, 18 percent of full-time employees, and 11 percent 
of middle-class families.
  In other words, only the rich can afford to live without risk. Only 
the rich are immune, because they have been coddled by the Republican-
imposed income tax shelters that can pay for health care. Every other 
American is one layoff, one major accident, one major illness or 
divorce away from being uninsured and facing financial ruin.
  Since the President took office, health care premiums have risen 87 
percent. Have your wages gone up that much?
  Here is another personal story from a letter: ``I have always worked 
and I have never taken welfare or asked for help from anyone. Last 
month, I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. There is no cure for 
this slow-moving cancer. I will not be able to buy health insurance now 
because I have a preexisting condition. Even if I can find it 
somewhere, I would not be able to afford the big premiums. The only 
solution I can come up with is to leave America and move to another 
nation where I can get health care coverage.''
  When American citizens consider leaving the country as the only 
viable option, that is not a solution, that is an indictment of a 
failure to act. The only solution to America's health care crisis is a 
single payer, universal health care system. We have tried everything 
else except the right idea.
  Under H.R. 1200, my bill, every American would be guaranteed a 
package of benefits. States would administer their own programs, with 
decisions made closest to the patient. The health care system today is 
all about profits, not patients. My bill would put patients back in 
charge. It would provide predictable and lower cost for American 
businesses, and everyone would be covered.
  The special interests have run the health care system into the 
ground, and millions of Americans have been ground into financial ruin 
as a result. The single most common cause for going into bankruptcy in 
this country is health care costs.
  America stands virtually alone in the industrialized world in not 
caring for its citizens, and being a loner is insensitive, 
incomprehensible, and intolerable. If all we do is read these poignant 
stories and ring our hands, we will turned our backs on the people who 
elected us to serve them by leading. It is time to pass universal 
health care. We can do it, but it will take some leadership in the 
White House. Unfortunately, we may have to wait until 2009 to get a 
President who understands that all Americans should be protected with 
health insurance.

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