Copyright 1999 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
June 16, 1999
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 475 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY June 16, 1999 MICHAEL BILIRAKIS CHAIRMAN SUBCOMMITTEE ON
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT HOUSE COMMERCE
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH INSURANCE FOR
THE UNINSURED
BODY:
Statement of
The Honorable Michael Bilirakis Subcommittee on Health &
Environment Hearing on America's Health Statement by
Congressman Mike Bilirakis Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and
Environment Hearing on America's Health: Access to Affordable
Health Coverage I'm pleased to call this hearing to order. This
is the second in a series of hearings focusing on the state of our nation's
health care system and proposals for reform. As we consider
changes to improve protections for insured individuals, we must also recognize
that millions of Americans have no health coverage at all. Each
year, the Census Bureau measures the levels and types of health
coverage for Americans in the previous calendar year. Its most recent survey
concluded that 43.4 million Americans - about 16 percent of the population -
lacked health coverage for the entire year in 1997. Clearly,
access to affordable health coverage is a considerable problem
in our nation. Last year, the House considered and approved legislation to
increase protections for patients in managed care plans, while expanding
health care access to the uninsured.
Unfortunately, the Senate failed to approve similar legislation. This year,
however, Congress again has a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality and
availability of health care for all Americans. A number of
measures have been proposed to address problems faced by individuals and small
employers in obtaining affordable health coverage. These
include the formation of Community Health Organizations, the
creation of HealthMarts, and federal subsidies for state high risk pools. None
of these proposals will solve the problem of the uninsured, but
they do represent a responsible starting point in this debate. Together, they
have the potential to expand access to care for a significant number of
Americans without busting the budget or expanding government regulation of the
health care system. Before we begin, I would note that our
colleagues in the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations of the Committee
on Education and the Workforce are voting today on a number of individual reform
proposals. Contrary to some recent reports, it is my intention that this
Subcommittee will also act on a bipartisan basis to consider and approve
health care legislation. Tomorrow, majority and minority
committee staff will begin meeting to discuss the development of a legislative
vehicle. In the meantime, today's hearing - and our hearing next week on
internal and external appeals - will increase Members' understanding of these
issues, in preparation for legislative action. Our witnesses today represent a
range of diverse perspectives on the problems facing the
uninsured, as well as some possible solutions. I want to thank
them for joining us, and I look forward to hearing their views on this key issue
LOAD-DATE: June 17, 1999 
