On May 7, the House approved, 402-1, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 271) expressing the sense of the Congress that a National Importance of Health Care Coverage Month be established. Sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), the resolution calls for a “multifaceted educational effort” to educate Americans about the importance of health care coverage and the available health care options, including public insurance programs.
“Over one-third of the uninsured are in families where coverage is offered by an employer and they declined the insurance,” stated Rep. Wilson. “We need to educate small business leaders. We need to educate the workforce. We need to educate parents so that we can increase the access to health care and increase the number of people who are insured in this country,” she argued.
While noting that education about health coverage is important, Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) commented, “If I poll people in my district who are uninsured, I am pretty sure they would say it is actually Members of Congress who need education. The uninsured in my district know that going without health insurance is a bad idea. Most of them did not choose that; it is either not available or it is too expensive. Small business knows that sponsoring health insurance for their employees is a good idea. They still cannot afford it.”
