Hilda L. Solis: “today I rise to discuss the need to make access to health insurance for everyone a priority in our country. As you know…”

“today I rise to discuss the need to make access to health insurance for everyone a priority in our country. As you know, 46 million Americans are uninsured, including more than 9 million children in the U.S. One in three people in the San Gabriel Valley, which I represent, is uninsured; and across the State of California, 6.5 million adults and 750,000 children lack health care insurance. Nationwide, 83 percent of the uninsured are from working families. Of uninsured Californians, more than two-thirds of those families have full-time jobs. Fourteen million uninsured are Latinos, including one in five children. In the past 5 years, the number of Latinos without health insurance, as you know, has increased. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, uninsured children are five times less likely to have visited a doctor or dentist in the past 2 years compared to those children who are insured. Fewer doctor visits can lead to serious illness and health problems, as well as avoidable costly emergency room visits. The Institute of Medicine estimates that each year at least 18,000 people die prematurely due to lack of health insurance. But President Bush's proposal will not help the 46 million uninsured men, women, and children in our country. Instead of finding real solutions, President Bush wants to provide tax deductions to wealthy Americans who can already afford their health care insurance.”