Frank Pallone: “today the House Democratic leader, Dick Gephardt, and the Senate Democrat leader, Tom Daschle, are sending a letter to…”

“today the House Democratic leader, Dick Gephardt, and the Senate Democrat leader, Tom Daschle, are sending a letter to Republican leaders Gingrich and Lott calling on Republicans to move forward on expanding health care coverage for children. Many Democrats, including the President, have developed proposals to ensure all children have health insurance, but to date Republicans have offered no plan while outright refusing offers from the President and congressional Democrats to incorporate a children-only health insurance program into a bipartisan congressional agenda. Just yesterday, Mr. Speaker, the New York City public advocate, Mark Green, released a report on the growing number of uninsured citizens in New York. Among the report's many disturbing findings was that between 1990 and 1995 the proportion of New York's children who have no medical insurance increased by 6 percent. As of 1995, nearly 20 percent of New York's children, 1 of every 5, did not have health insurance. And an equally troubling finding was that some 22 percent of uninsured citizens, many of which are parents, actually work for companies of more than a thousand people. Mr. Speaker, I believe the writing is on the wall: Those parents who work for large companies are finding it difficult, as are many, to adequately provide health insurance for their children.”