IV
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 126
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the special health care needs
of children should be addressed in any health care reform legislation.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 22, 1993
Mr. CLEMENT (for himself, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. FILNER, Ms.
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. MCKINNEY, Mr.
PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. POMEROY, and Mr. SHARP) submitted the
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the special health
care needs of children should be addressed in any health
care reform legislation.
Whereas 1 in 4 Americans is a child, and 1 in 4 children live
below the Federal poverty level;
Whereas 15 percent of the children who live below the Fed-
eral poverty level have no regular source of health care,
and a significant number of the children who do have a
regular source of care depend on institutional settings,
such as hospital emergency rooms, for their health care;
Whereas low-income children are more susceptible to illnesses
than their peers and, when they get sick, their conditions
•HCON 126 IH
are more severe and require more care than children in
higher income families;
Whereas low-income children are less likely to receive physical
examinations, vision testing, immunizations, and other
preventive care;
Whereas every dollar spent on preventive care and early
intervention can save $4.75 in costs associated with re-
medial education, welfare, and crime;
Whereas every dollar spent on immunizations saves more
than $10 in costs associated with treating the disease;
Whereas 12,400,000 children in the United States are not
covered by health insurance, and millions more are inad-
equately covered;
Whereas the benefits offered by most health insurance plans
that cover children are designed for adult health care
needs and patterns of use rather than the health care
needs and patterns of use exhibited by children, which
are different from those exhibited by adults;
Whereas 1 in 5 children in America live in an urban or rural
area that is medically underserved;
Whereas universal entitlement to health care will not auto-
matically provide preventive services to children or assure
them access to health care;
Whereas the need for pediatricians and general practitioners
exceeds the supply, and the payment systems currently in
use discourage physicians from entering these practice
areas; and
Whereas our children are our future and, if we fail to protect
their health, the future of our Nation will be at risk:
Now, therefore, be it
•HCON 126 IH
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that any leg-
islation enacted to reform the health care delivery system
of the United States should address the health care needs
of children, including the following:
(1) The special health care needs of children,
and their different patterns of using health care
services.
(2) The need to emphasize preventive care.
(3) The uninsured status of many children, and
the inadequacy of the health insurance covering
many others.
(4) The lack of access to health care services
even when health insurance is available.
(5) The lack of incentives for physicians to
enter practice areas that serve children.
Æ