"Millions of Americans lack health insurance, and there are many reasons why," Grassley said. "While the reasons are diverse, the solutions are guided by two broad principles. One is that state governments need flexibility to serve the uninsured. Another is we need to find ways to encourage employers to offer health insurance that appeals to employees."
Grassley's comments came after the second of two hearings exploring the profile of the uninsured population and possible solutions. He said it's critically important to keep in mind that because the uninsured population is so diverse, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Instead, Congress must think about changes that are unique to each of the different populations that make up the uninsured, Grassley said.
President Bush has already put forth a series of incremental options that would help millions of uninsured individuals and families gain health coverage, Grassley said. More than 70 percent of uninsured adults are employed but still go without health coverage. The President's proposal to offer a refundable tax credit would help this working population tremendously.
Grassley said the President's proposal also encourages states to use flexibility to improve outreach and enrollment efforts to cover millions of adults and children who may already qualify for existing federal health programs but are not enrolled. Options such as streamlining the application process and reducing paperwork burdens on families are common-sense ways to make these programs more accessible, Grassley said.
Grassley said solutions to the uninsured problem must not overburden existing federal programs that already might be stretched to the limit and must not discourage employers from offering health insurance to employees.
"More and more Americans rely on health coverage from their employers," Grassley said. "We have to make sure we continue to encourage employers to offer health insurance to their employees. The more options employees have, the more likely they are to find an insurance plan that meets their needs. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the bipartisan will we have to ease the uninsured problem."