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Every American
deserves access to high quality, affordable health care.
But, despite the wealth of our nation, many Americans are
denied that access. Today, 44 million Americans, 10 million
of whom are children, have absolutely no health insurance.
Another 190 million, who enrolled in managed care plans,
are often unable to receive the treatment prescribed for
them by their physicians because they lack basic patient
rights. And, 14 million senior citizens,
who were promised that Medicare would take care of them
in their golden years, do not have coverage for the prescription
medications they need to stay healthy.
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| In 1997, Congress created the Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which represented the largest
investment in children's health care since the inception of
Medicaid in 1965. Our major challenge now, is to move beyond
the successes of CHIP in covering kids to increase the number
of adults with access to health care. We must also establish
Patients' Bill of Rights so that doctors, not insurance company
bureaucrats, make medical decisions governing care for patients
who have coverage. And, we must update Medicare to include
an affordable, voluntary prescription drug benefit for our
nation's seniors. |
