[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9884]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE

  (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to address 
my concerns for the 5.4 million Texans who are without health 
insurance. Nearly 25 percent of Texans are uninsured. That's the 
highest rate in the entire country. The irony is that Dallas and other 
cities have great health care networks.
  The problem is that of access to care. In Dallas, there are many 
examples of health care excellence, including Parkland Memorial 
Hospital, Baylor University Medical Center, Methodist Medical Center, 
UT Southwestern Medical School, the Dallas Veterans Administration 
Medical Center, and others.
  However, the price of insurance is robbing Texans of access to the 
appropriate medical care. Emergency rooms are overcrowded. Only half of 
Texas children are covered by employment-based insurance.
  We must fix the problem of the uninsured. Affordable, accessible 
health care coverage should be available to every American. Health care 
should not be a cash cow for the insurance companies.

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