The United States is on the forefront of medical technology and has some of the world's best doctors, but many of our own citizens can't afford it. About 46 million Americans are uninsured, even those who hold down full-time jobs, and millions more are underinsured. More than two-thirds of those filing for bankruptcy due to medical expenses had health insurance, and medical expenses cause about half of all bankruptcies in the US. A single, serious illness can send a hard-working middle class family into bankruptcy, and every 30 seconds one more American does exactly that.
It is time for all Americans to have health insurance.
The plan I support is Medicare for all. It is cost effective and the structure is already in place. While Medicare has a low administrative rate of around 3-4%, the insurance companies' rate is up to 37%. The Medicare system currently provides quality health care to millions of senior citizens. With Medicare, health care is privately delivered. This allows the freedom to choose your own doctors.
We should toughen oversight to cut fraud and waste. I am proud that I was an original cosponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (H.R. 4), which requires the federal government to negotiate lower prices for Medicare prescription drugs. This legislation corrected the bill passed by the previous Congress, which actually prohibited the government from negotiating the best price for our seniors. The new legislation passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting action in the Senate. The President has threatened a veto.
While we continue the fight for health care coverage for all, it is important to take care of those Americans most in need right now. I supported the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which currently insures 6 million children. Had it not been vetoed by the President, the program would have extended insurance to an additional 4 million uninsured children who were already eligible for the program. A strong America needs healthy citizens, and healthy kids to grow into healthy, productive adults.
I voted to make sure that military families did not struggle with higher TRICARE premiums, and that their co-payments and the cost of their prescription drugs were not raised. I wrote an amendment, which passed the House, to establish a 24/7 hotline to help our service members find and make appointments with behavioral health care providers. This hotline should help those suffering from depression, substance abuse, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) quickly locate the services they need.
And while in Washington, I have made it my mission to honor our veterans by ensuring that New Hampshire, the only state without a full-service VA hospital, will provide its veterans with a full-service hospital or local access to equivalent medical care. I wrote a bill, the Veterans Health Equity Act of 2008 (HR 6629), requiring this, wrote letters to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs advocating for it, and testified on my bill before the Committee on Veterans Affairs. New Hampshire has 130,000 veterans, and they deserve the same care as veterans in every other state. I am committed to fixing this unfair situation.
All other developed nations provide health care coverage for their people, and it is increasingly difficult for American businesses to compete in global markets, burdened by the extra expense of health care. General Motors and Starbucks have something in common-they both spend more on health insurance than on steel or coffee. With the rising cost of health care, small businesses in particular often cannot afford to provide it. A full 60% of the uninsured in the US are self-employed or small businesses (under 100 employees). This is a huge problem and that's why I am cosponsoring the Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2008 (HR 6210, called the SHOP Act). This bill allows small businesses to form a national insurance pool, which will make health care more affordable and accessible. To help small and big businesses prosper, they need to be relieved of the burden of health care.
Health care coverage for all is a great investment in the American people. Workers are the economic engines of this nation. Healthy people are productive and work. If they work, they pay taxes. If they pay taxes, we all pay less. Until we have health care coverage for all, I will continue to back any and all health care legislation that improves the lives of our people.
