Today, nearly 44 million Americans under the age of 65 -- 11 million of whom are children -- do not have health insurance.  In my home state of Rhode Island, one out of 10 people lack health insurance.  As we all know, health insurance is critical to obtaining necessary affordable medical care.  Those without insurance often pay two, even three times, more for medical care than an insured person pays for the same service. The uninsured are hospitalized at least 50 percent more often than the insured for avoidable conditions.  They are also more likely to be diagnosed with later stage cancer than those with insurance.  Even newborn infants born to uninsured mothers have a 31% greater risk for adverse health outcomes.   This inequity in access to medical care reflects the unfair disparity in healthcare costs the uninsured face on a regular basis.  That is why I plan to introduce legislation to require the Department of Health and Human Services to make substantive recommendations on how to eliminate this disparity, and report to Congress within one year on these findings.  

Another facet of today’s health insurance quagmire is the high cost employees must pay for health insurance premiums – so high, in fact, that many opt out of this vital benefit.  Over 1/3 of the uninsured are in families where employer-sponsored coverage is declined.  And Medicaid doesn’t always cover these families, which is why I plan to introduce legislation to help states subsidize employees’ and some of the employers’ health insurance premium costs.  I want to make sure employed workers are able to obtain the health care they need and deserve.

A third aspect of health insurance I am deeply concerned about is the lack of prescription drug coverage in Medicare.  Thirteen million Medicare recipients lack drug coverage.  In Rhode Island alone, almost 200,000 of our seniors have no drug coverage.  And drugs are not cheap.  In 1999, prescription drugs accounted for almost 10% of individual health spending.  In many cases these drugs amount to $500 or more per month.  

With 77 million Baby Boomers soon to retire, we must curb this trend before it spirals out of control.  By requiring drug companies to sell prescription drugs in the U.S. for the same price they charge in other developed countries, we can alleviate the burden on people lacking drug coverage.  I commend my colleague from Maine, Congressman Tom Allen, who has introduced H.R. 1400, the Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 2001, of which I am a proud co-sponsor.  This legislation ensures drug companies charge fair prices in the U.S., and is estimated to reduce prices for brand-name prescription drugs, on average, by 40 percent.

All of the issues I’ve mentioned address healthcare affordability, but guaranteeing a minimum standard of quality is just as important.   After all, the healthcare we pay for must provide the care we need. The Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001, otherwise known as the Patients’ Bill of Rights, would ensure patients obtain this quality care and are granted greater control over their healthcare.  If enacted, this bill would provide access to emergency care, specialty care and clinical trials, and allow external review for all Americans who receive employer-sponsored healthcare.  This bill represents a critical step toward improving our healthcare system and placing control of patient care firmly in the hands of patients and their doctors.

Disparity in healthcare costs, lack of affordable health insurance,  a prescription drug plan for our seniors, and patients’ rights to control the quality of their own medical care are some of the most pressing healthcare issues facing America today.   I urge my colleagues to work together to solve these problems.  Reforming our healthcare system is probably one of the most complicated endeavors for Congress to undertake, but it is also a goal we can and must achieve together.  I look forward to working with all of you to make this a reality.