To express the sense of the Senate concerning the expansion of health care coverage.

1. Adds SEC. ____. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING AN EXPANSION IN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE wherever appropriate

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. ____. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING AN EXPANSION IN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--

   Inserted: (1) there were 74,700,000 Americans who were uninsured for all or part of the two-year period of 2001 and 2002;

   Inserted: (2) this large group of uninsured Americans constitutes almost one out of every three Americans under the age of 65;

   Inserted: (3) most of these uninsured individuals were without health coverage for lengthy periods of time, with two-thirds of them uninsured for over six months;

   Inserted: (4) four out of five uninsured individuals are in working families;

   Inserted: (5) high health care costs, the large number of unemployed workers, and State cutbacks of public health programs occasioned by State fiscal crises are causing more and more individuals to become uninsured; and

   Inserted: (6) uninsured individuals are less likely to have a usual source of care outside of an emergency room, often go without screenings and preventive care, often delay or forgo needed medical care, are often subject to avoidable hospital days, and are sicker and die earlier than those individuals who have health insurance.

   Inserted: (b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that the functional totals in this resolution assume that--

   Inserted: (1) expanded access to health care coverage throughout the United States is a top priority for national policymaking; and

   Inserted: (2) to the extent that additional funds are made available, a significant portion of such funds should be dedicated to expanding access to health care coverage so that fewer individuals are uninsured and fewer individuals are likely to become uninsured.

   The amendment doesn't say where this goes; the clerk decides.

   Original wording

   At the appropriate place, insert the following:

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As printed