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Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions - S. 1693

Date: Oct. 1, 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Health Insurance

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. BAUCUS):

S. 1693. A bill to amend section 35 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals receiving unemployment compensation to be eligible for a refundable, advanceable credit for health insurance costs; to the Committee on Finance.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce, along with Senator BAUCUS, an extension of a bipartisan policy to help reduce the number of people living without health insurance today.

In simplist terms, our bill extends the 65 percent credit offered to people eligible for trade adjustment assistance, and to certain PBGC beneficiaries, to those workers eligible for unemployment insurance.

Is it perfect policy? No. Does it "solve" the problem of the uninsured? it does not.

But it's an important step in the right direction. I do not subscribe to the view that "incrementalism" when it comes to covering the uninsured, is dead.

With census figures showing the number of Americans living without health insurance increasing, even small steps are steps in the right direction.

Incrementalism has made a difference. For example, the few million people we covered with this tax credit in last year's trade promotion authority bill made a difference. The S-CHIP program made a difference. I believe Medical Savings
Accounts and the small group market reforms we made in HIPAA all have made a difference in controlling what would otherwise be a much larger number of people without health insurance.

This year, Congress, in a bipartisan way, put $50 billion into a reserve fund to address the rising number of uninsured. The year is more than almost over, and nothing has been done, or even discussed.

I will not let a bipartisan consensus to spend $50 billion on improving access to health insurance lay there on the table. Iowans expect us to do get things done.

And to get anything, even something small, done on a problem this big, it's got to be bipartisan. That's why I am glad to be building on my work with Senator BAUCUS and making this important, novel program available to more Americans.

I am looking forward to exploring still more options in the Finance Committee on reducing the uninsured in the weeks and months ahead.

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