Thomas Daschle: “when comprehensive health reform failed in 1994, we were left with the legacy of a major unmet challenge-- providing…”

“when comprehensive health reform failed in 1994, we were left with the legacy of a major unmet challenge-- providing secure health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. Despite the inability of Congress to enact comprehensive health reform, many of my colleagues and I continue to work to achieve that goal, albeit incrementally. The Kennedy-Kassebaum bill was part of that effort, as were the provisions of the recent budget agreement that made $24 billion available to states to cover uninsured children. As part of this ongoing effort, last week I introduced legislation that would restore rights and protections to early retirees who are abruptly dropped from their employer's health plan. Today I am introducing legislation to help individuals who do not have employer-sponsored coverage and who, because of a previous or current health condition, are unable to obtain private non-group health insurance. While today many people without employer-sponsored insurance can purchase health coverage in the individual insurance market, those with health problems --conditions as common as asthma or migraine headaches and as controllable as hypertension or allergies--may not be able to find an insurer willing to cover them at any price. As many as 4 million Americans fall into this abyss, known by the insurance industry as the ``medically uninsurable.'' Many Americans felt that we had solved that problem when we enacted the Kennedy-Kassebaum bill.”