Senator Cantwell’s Statement on National Cover the Uninsured Week
WASHINGTON, DC – Monday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement during National Cover the Uninsured Week:
“America’s health insurance problem is growing worse. Today, more people are uninsured than ever before. Forty-six million Americans, including 8 million children, lack health insurance. In Washington state, more than 850,000 people have no health insurance at all.
"Tens of millions more Americans go without health coverage for shorter periods of time. Another 16 million are under-insured with health coverage that would not adequately cover the tremendous costs of a serious accident or debilitating disease. Nearly 50 people die every day because they are uninsured and cannot get the medical care they need according to the Institute of Medicine.
"All Americans deserve access to quality, affordable health care. But transforming a broken system and making real progress won’t come easy. Right now every American, those with insurance and without, is confronted by the rising costs of health care. To get costs under control and get more Americans access to healthcare coverage, Congress can act right now.
"The vast majority of the working uninsured are employed by small employers. We must help small businesses provide health coverage for their employees. I’ve worked in Congress to pass a bill that would create a large insurance pool among our small business owners to help them leverage their market power together to lower their rates, premiums and co pays for them and their employees.
"Additionally, implementing system-wide, cutting-edge information technology to improve communication between doctors, technicians, nurses and specialists would not only reduce errors but bring down costs as well. Controlling costs means freeing up more health care dollars to provide patient care to those who need it most.
"Finally, Congress can work to ensure that there are enough healthcare professionals to meet the needs of the community. Our rural and underserved areas—the very places most in need of improved health care—present serious challenges in recruiting healthcare professionals. Making targeted investments in our nursing and medical education system would ensure that there are enough medical professionals to go around.
"Alone, not one of these solutions will be sufficient. We need to pursue all of these and other approaches to make sure that every American has access to quality, affordable care—sooner rather than later.”
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