FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: (202) 225-3943
June 8, 1999
No. HL-6
Congressman Bill Thomas (R-CA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on those individuals without health insurance. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 15, 1999, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
Health insurance coverage is among the most important contributors to Americans' personal and financial security. Nonetheless, despite the nation's strong and growing economy, today more Americans are uninsured than at any other time in modern history. The latest studies indicate that more than 43 million Americans have no health coverage whatsoever. And this number is growing. Not only are Americans without insurance exposed to the potential for catastrophic financial liabilities in the event of illness, lack of insurance often discourages individuals from seeking proper and timely treatments. The presence of such a large number of uninsured patients in the health care system has also created troubling distortions in the financing of care, resulting in inefficient cross-subsidies and delivery trends.
Several recent changes to law have been aimed at addressing the problem of the uninsured. In 1996, portability and guaranteed issue and renewability requirements were established for all health insurers in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (P.L. 104-91). The HIPAA law ensures that those who currently have insurance will be able to continue to gain access to coverage, even in the event of a job change or disabling illness. The legislation also included "medical savings accounts" (MSAs). Medical savings accounts combine less costly catastrophic health insurance coverage with tax-favored savings accounts that are dedicated to paying routine medical costs. In addition, these accounts offer individuals the ability to accumulate savings that can be used for specific needs, like long-term care, later in life.
Many other provisions in the tax code impact the financing of private health insurance. The current deductions for employer-provided health coverage and the individual exclusion, make employer-provided insurance a tax-free benefit for American workers. In addition, the tax code provides an individual deduction for health care costs in excess of 7.5 percent of one's adjusted gross income.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Thomas stated: "Having access to affordable health insurance is clearly one of the most important patient protections of all. This hearing will help us better understand why, despite our many efforts to address the uninsured, the problem continues to persist."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will seek the input of several academicians, employers, and policy experts in evaluating the characteristics of the uninsured, and in determining what factors are behind the continuing rise in the uninsured population, despite the country's continuing economic growth. The Committee will consider potential solutions to address the problem of the uninsured at a later hearing.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Tuesday, June 29, 1999 to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Health office, room 1136 Longworth House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.