IV
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 56
Expressing the sense of the Congress that access to basic health care services
is a fundamental human right.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 2, 1993
Mr. PASTOR (for himself, Mr. STARK, Mr. LAFALCE, Mrs. MINK, Mr.
UNDERWOOD, Mr. FILNER, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Ms. PELOSI, Mr.
GUTIERREZ, and Mr. CLEMENT) submitted the following concurrent reso-
lution; which was referred jointly to the Committees on Energy and Com-
merce and Ways and Means
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that access to basic
health care services is a fundamental human right.
Whereas the assurance of adequate health care is essential to
the general welfare and to the Nation’s security,
strength, productivity, wealth, and social order;
Whereas approximately 35,000,000 Americans have no insur-
ance coverage for health care services, an additional
60,000,000 are underinsured, millions more are in jeop-
ardy of losing their health insurance if they become ill
and cannot work or otherwise lose their jobs, and many
who have insurance find that necessary services are not
covered;
•HCON 56 IH
Whereas the poor, minorities, individuals in rural commu-
nities, and the disabled have long been inadequately
served by the health care system and encounter barriers
to access to basic health care services that exceed those
faced by the general population;
Whereas the lack of access to basic health care services re-
sults in underutilization of preventive health care, the oc-
currence of preventable disease, and the eventual need for
more costly curative care;
Whereas the $800,000,000,000 annual national expenditure
on health care is an excessive burden on families and
businesses, and health care costs are continuing to rise;
Whereas the present health care system in the United States
has failed to deliver at least a basic level of health care
services to all individuals who are in need of such serv-
ices;
Whereas recognition of access to health services as a basic
human right is already contained in the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Inter-
national Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, a covenant to which 118 countries have agreed to
be bound but that the United States has not yet ratified;
Whereas declarations and recognition of rights have served to
distinguish our Nation’s highest priorities, such as free-
dom of speech and the right to a fair trial, and have pro-
vided for recourse in cases in which these rights are
abridged;
Whereas recognition of an ethical obligation by society to en-
sure equitable access to basic health care services for all
was made in 1983 by the President’s Commission for the
•HCON 56 IH
Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical
and Behavior Research;
Whereas the Commission’s report, Securing Access to Health
Care, concluded that the ultimate responsibility for en-
suring that such obligation is met rests with the Federal
Government, and that access to basic health care services
requires that all citizens be able to secure an adequate
level of care without excessive burdens;
Whereas many other industrialized countries provide univer-
sal access to health care and spend substantially less to
do so per person than is spent under the current health
care system of the United States;
Whereas it is possible to identify a universal standard of
basic health care services and to achieve it as a matter
of right for the people of the United States; and
Whereas the determination of this standard should be devel-
oped on the basis of substantial public participation,
should be revised as new services become available, and
should make necessary health care services available to
all: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) access to basic health care services is a fun-
damental human right;
(2) all legislative proposals by the President
and Congress concerning national health care reform
and any initiatives to improve the delivery of health
care should be based upon recognition of this fun-
damental right; and
•HCON 56 IH
(3) legislative proposals should be specifically
developed which make policy changes necessary to
protect and guarantee this fundamental right, in-
cluding the development of comprehensive and cost-
effective strategies for delivery of primary and pre-
ventive health care, the determination of a universal
standard of basic health care services, the reform of
public and private sector health care financing, and
the determination of priorities in the health care
sector.
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