Tammy Baldwin: “I rise tonight one month after our Nation recognized Cover the Uninsured Week to draw attention to a national crisis…”

“I rise tonight one month after our Nation recognized Cover the Uninsured Week to draw attention to a national crisis, and that is the crisis of the uninsured. This crisis affects all Americans, and so for the fifth straight year, I have reserved this hour to highlight the issue of the uninsured. Madam Speaker, I believe that all Americans have a right to affordable and comprehensive health care. But unfortunately, according to the Census Bureau, 47 million Americans are without health insurance. Millions more encounter a health care system that is inadequate in meeting their basic medical needs because they are underinsured. According to a recent Commonwealth Foundation study, there are 16 million Americans who are underinsured, meaning their insurance did not adequately protect them against catastrophic health care expenses. That means that 63 million Americans, or one-in-five Americans, have either no health insurance, have only sporadic coverage, or have health insurance coverage that leaves them exposed to high health care costs. Additionally, even those with health care coverage are faced with rising health care costs. As our economy continues to falter and the price of food and gas rises, high health care costs are straining more and more family budgets. The lack of affordable comprehensive health care affects every congressional district in the Nation.”