Bill Nelson: “first of all, before the Senator from Utah leaves the Chamber, I want to say that I listened to him, and I appreciate…”

“first of all, before the Senator from Utah leaves the Chamber, I want to say that I listened to him, and I appreciate his leadership. This is one of the most important programs. It was created back in 1997, when the Senator from Utah took a leading role, along with the Senator from Montana. It is truly a bipartisan program, and it is one that has met with great success. As it was created in 1997, this Senator happened to be the elected State treasurer and insurance commissioner of Florida, of which in that position I chaired the health insurance program for children that had been set up separate from this program. This program just all the more enabled us in Florida to add that many more children to receive health care, particularly health care at a time that is so important in their lives, when those little minds are beginning to learn and those little bodies are beginning to build. So I just want the two Senators on the floor to know how much I appreciate it. Since 1997, even as the percentage of uninsured adults has increased, the rate of low-income uninsured children has decreased by over a third. As a result, these insured children, in large part because of this program, have been afforded better access to primary and preventive care, better quality of care, improved health, and even improved school performance.”