(WASHINGTON, DC) The latest Census statistics indicate that we are facing a health care crisis of considerable proportions. In a country armed against illnesses of all origins with the most modern medical technology the world has to offer, an estimated 44.3 million Americans are without health insurance coverage, the only means to access our prohibitively expensive health care system.

Much of what we know about health insurance and access to care is usually linked to employer based coverage. It is not surprising to see a much larger population of insured Americans among the ranks of the employed. In this great land of opportunity, the loss of a job often means the loss of essential medical and preventative health care services - services all of our families desperately need.

A new development in the Census report has thrown a cruel twist to this alarming reality. Low-wage earners, those people below the poverty level who have jobs, are more likely to be uninsured than non-workers. About one-half of full-time American workers earning less than livable wages were uninsured in 1998.

For those of us involved in health care policy, this is not new. Of the 11 million uninsured Hispanics in the United States, 9 million are in families where at least one person works. Hispanics account for one-fourth of the 44 million uninsured while making up 11% of the America's population.

Hispanics and other minorities are concentrated in low-wage jobs, often at small firms, where insurance coverage is least likely to be offered. Employer covered plans are the main source of health insurance for most Americans under age 65. However, only 20% of Hispanics get insurance directly from their employer.

Insurance coverage, especially for preventative health care, is the most cost-effective medical tool currently at our disposal. Prevention at the outset saves us dollars in the long run, increases life expectancy, and reduces congestion in our hospitals and emergency rooms. Those without health insurance coverage were 50 to 70% more likely to need hospitalization for avoidable conditions, further burdening hospitals and health care professionals unnecessarily. Employers who are without the employees for days and sometimes weeks suffer in productivity while families often face financial ruin if serious illnesses or injuries result.

Providing incentives to small business and those that employ low-wage earners is the first step. A proposal was submitted to Congress by the administration that would provide small firms that have not previously offered health insurance program with a tax credit equal to 20% of their contribution towards employee health insurance.

In addition to providing tax incentives we need to focus on expanding existing public programs. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which was passed nearly two years ago and will be implemented in Texas this year, is a natural starting point. Currently, the program focuses on providing insurance for children, many of whom come from working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private health insurance.

A plan submitted to Congress earlier this year would provide expanded SCHIP coverage to include the parents of covered children. The overwhelming majority of poverty stricken parents with uninsured children are themselves uninsured. Family coverage would provide health insurance for a large portion of uninsured adults while at the same time increasing the number of children enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid.

Aggressive steps such as the ones outlined by the administration are necessary if we are to eradicate the long list of uninsured in our country. Providing health care coverage should be a priority for Congress before the closing days of the 106th Congress. If we fail to act, we doom our working families and we doom the communities that rely on their productivity. We all have a stake in America's health.

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