Thomas Daschle: “last week's Congress Daily included a story that still troubles me deeply and gets at the heart of why I am offering…”

“last week's Congress Daily included a story that still troubles me deeply and gets at the heart of why I am offering this amendment. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, in response to a question about why the Bush administration is providing funding for universal health care in Iraq, but not in America, replied: Even if you don't have health insurance in America, you get taken care of. That could be defined as universal health care. I don't think Secretary Thompson is callous, so he must be desperately out of touch. Either way, it's shocking to hear the nation's top health care official claim that America has universal health care. More than 43 million Americans are uninsured. According to the National Institute of Medicine, uninsured Americans who access emergency rooms or free clinics get about half the medical care of those with health insurance--they live sicker and die sooner than those with insurance. Approximately 18,000 Americans die unnecessarily each year because of lack of health care. And the problem isn't just uninsured Americans. Millions more Americans are under-insured. There are 2.5 million Native Americans in this country who-- theoretically--have insurance. All too often, they get abysmal health care--or none at all. America is obligated--by law and by treaty--to provide free health care for American Indians--a commitment we made to Indian people when the U.S. Government took their lands. America is not honoring that commitment.”