Political Quotes

“As budget negotiators work to finalize the details of our historic agreement, we must make bolstering children's health coverage for low-income children a top priority. It is unconscionable that the most developed country in the world has 10 million uninsured children, including 167,000 in my State of Maryland. I strongly urge my conference committee colleagues to adopt the Senate bill's provisions which contain an additional $24 billion for children's health and the guarantee that the funds cannot be used for other purposes. We must also insist on a meaningful benefits package, including vision and hearing coverage. It is about time we used an increased tobacco tax to fund children's health insurance. Smoking dramatically affects children's health and drains our health care system. Raising cigarette taxes is one of the best ways to keep children from smoking, which translates into fewer deaths later in life from smoking-related illnesses. Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of uninsured children have working parents, and oftentimes these parents must choose between paying rent or buying private insurance or quitting their jobs to qualify for Medicaid. Let us seize this opportunity.”