May 11, 2004
Smith, Uninsured Task Force Release Proposals to Improve Access to Health Care
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) and the Senate Republican Task Force on Health Care Costs and the Uninsured released principles and proposals for a legislative package to extend coverage to uninsured Americans.
"I am always overwhelmed by the fact that almost 44 million Americans, including 500,000 Oregonians and 8.5 million children are living without health care coverage," said Smith. "This is a challenge for which we must develop a solution."
The Task Force's proposal is divided into three areas: coverage, cost and care. The coverage section of the proposal includes principles that will help increase the number of people who have health insurance. The goal is to make health insurance more affordable by providing financial assistance to those who need it, and creating uniformity, which will lower costs and allow more people to purchase coverage.
To ensure that health insurance and coverage is more affordable and accessible, the proposal includes a set of principles to reduce the cost of health care, including expanding the use of technology to improve patient safety and efficiency and curtailing waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs.
In order to truly guarantee that all Americans have access to health care services, it is necessary to provide continuing care and preventive services to maintain their health. The Task Force's principles on care include increasing the number of Community Health Centers and making prescription drugs more affordable within the safety-net system.
"The solution to the challenges facing our health care system is making health insurance more affordable and health care more accessible," said Smith. "This proposal is a critical step in the right direction."
The release of the principles and proposals developed by the Task Force come during Cover the Uninsured Week, May 10 through 16. The number and percentage of uninsured has risen from 31 million and 12.9 percent of the population in 1987 to 43.6 million and 15.2 percent in 2002.
Smith has fought for years to provide health care coverage for the uninsured, including introducing the Health Insurance Access Act with Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) in 2002 and working to increase the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), the federal share of the Medicaid program. He continues to use his influence on the Senate Finance Committee to benefit the uninsured.
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