Nancy Kassebaum: “it has been exactly 2 full months since the Senate unanimously passed the Health Insurance Reform Act 100 to nothing.…”

“it has been exactly 2 full months since the Senate unanimously passed the Health Insurance Reform Act 100 to nothing. However, because Republicans and Democrats have been unable to reach agreement on one outstanding issue--the size and scope of the Medical Savings Account Demonstration Program--we have not been able to make further progress in reaching a compromise between the House and Senate language on this bill. Many, I think, assume that this legislation which passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate has already become law, and that is just not the case. I would suggest that every day we wait the stakes grow higher. As the number of legislative days dwindle: More American families lose their health insurance coverage; More American families are unable to obtain insurance because of preexisting illnesses or outright discrimination; Millions of Americans hold onto jobs that they would otherwise leave for fear of losing their health coverage; Patients suffering from AIDS, and our seniors and disabled citizens, do not have adequate resources to pay for care; And self-employed men and women, and small businesses, find the cost of health insurance increasingly out of reach. The bipartisan health reform legislation that passed both the Senate and the House in April would help address these critical issues. The General Accounting Office [GAO] estimates that the reforms at the heart of the bill will help at least 25 million Americans each year.”