[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE ``MEDICARE FOR ALL ACT''

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                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2007

  Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, our Nation's healthcare system boasts 
many triumphs--and many failures. As a nation we spend more than $1.9 
trillion on health care, yet the number of those without insurance 
continues to grow. At last count, more than 46 million Americans under 
age 65 had no health insurance. This is an increase of 1.3 million 
people from the previous year, and continues this upward trend that 
began in 2000.
  Those individuals who lack health insurance often forgo vital 
treatment and are left to depend upon a thinning safety net of 
healthcare providers. No health insurance often means filing medical 
bankruptcies or, worse yet, becoming one of the 18,000 premature 
American deaths each year that are attributable to lacking health 
insurance.
  It is time to act. Today I am introducing ``Medicare for All.'' It 
will make the tried, true, and trusted Medicare program available to 
everyone under age 65. Citizens will also have the option of selecting 
from any of the health benefit plans available to Members of Congress, 
the President, and Federal employees. People with lower incomes will 
continue to receive extra help with cost-sharing and premiums in order 
to access Medicare services.
  According to the Institute of Medicine, insuring all Americans would 
actually save the country $380 billion a year, partly because we 
already pay for the health care of the uninsured, who wait until they 
are in crisis and often receive their care in emergency rooms. If 
comprehensive healthcare coverage is available to all Americans, better 
preventative services and earlier treatments will be received, lowering 
healthcare costs. All Americans will reap the economic benefits of a 
healthier nation, from a stronger economy to lower health insurance 
expenses.
  This plan will save not only lives, but also American jobs. American 
companies are competing in the international marketplace against 
businesses that do not directly bear the costs of providing their 
employees and retirees with health care.
  As a result of a slowing economy earlier in the decade and healthcare 
premiums increasing faster than wages and incomes, the number of people 
with employer-based health insurance coverage continues to decline. 
Approximately 12.4 million people lost their employer-based insurance 
between 2000 and 2005. Premiums for family coverage have increased by 
87 percent since 2000. American companies are trying to do the right 
thing, but it is getting more difficult.
  I urge my colleagues--both Democrats and Republicans--to support this 
bill, and join me in addressing the healthcare crisis faced by millions 
of Americans today.

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