HOUSTON -
Shortly after returning from Washington D.C. on Sunday, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee wasted no time addressing Houstonians' concerns over the now house-approved Obama healthcare bill.
"I just landed from an almost all night debate and a final vote in the House on HR 323962, the affordable healthcare reform bill they said we could never do," said Lee.
But several local families along with the Children's Defense Fund of Texas say current reform legislation does not fully address the needs of the millions of uninsured and under insured children in Texas.
"There is no good reason, why should we pass a final health reform bill that stops short of providing real health care reform for our children," said Dr. Laura Guerra-Cardus of the Children's Defense Fund Texas.
They're asking others to call their senators or send postcards to house speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding the government to:
1 - simplify the enrollment process for publicly funded health insurance, 2 - guarantee that every child has a full range of health benefits, and 3 - ensure affordable coverage for all children.
"I'm a co-sponsor of an amendment that would provide full comprehensive insurance for all children," said Lee.
As a self-employed single mother of a special health needs child, Lorna Harvey said she has experienced first hand the plight of being denied medical coverage for her son.
"My son was taking $700 worth of medication a month," said Harvey. "As a single mother, how do you find the money to do that?"
Congresswoman Lee said insurance reform is the first step.
"No longer can your insurance be taken away from you because you're sick," said Lee. "Off course there is a public option."
But how would that be funded?
"There is a structure that taxes persons making $500,000 to $1 million," replied Lee.
Some fear employers would start turning their workers over to the public option and eliminate their own benefit plans to cut costs.
"We think we have enough incentives to keep your employees on your private insurance as we do for providing you relief if you're a small business for them to go into an exchange," said Lee.
"Moving CHIP children into an exchange will be more costly than CHIP, cover less children, and make million families pay more money for less benefits," said Guerra-Cardus. "We don't think this is the way to go."
Now all that concerned residents say they can do is wait to see how the senate will deal with the bill that promises to save the nation's health care system.
"I just landed from an almost all night debate and a final vote in the House on HR 323962, the affordable healthcare reform bill they said we could never do," said Lee.
But several local families along with the Children's Defense Fund of Texas say current reform legislation does not fully address the needs of the millions of uninsured and under insured children in Texas.
"There is no good reason, why should we pass a final health reform bill that stops short of providing real health care reform for our children," said Dr. Laura Guerra-Cardus of the Children's Defense Fund Texas.
They're asking others to call their senators or send postcards to house speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding the government to:
1 - simplify the enrollment process for publicly funded health insurance, 2 - guarantee that every child has a full range of health benefits, and 3 - ensure affordable coverage for all children.
"I'm a co-sponsor of an amendment that would provide full comprehensive insurance for all children," said Lee.
As a self-employed single mother of a special health needs child, Lorna Harvey said she has experienced first hand the plight of being denied medical coverage for her son.
"My son was taking $700 worth of medication a month," said Harvey. "As a single mother, how do you find the money to do that?"
Congresswoman Lee said insurance reform is the first step.
"No longer can your insurance be taken away from you because you're sick," said Lee. "Off course there is a public option."
But how would that be funded?
"There is a structure that taxes persons making $500,000 to $1 million," replied Lee.
Some fear employers would start turning their workers over to the public option and eliminate their own benefit plans to cut costs.
"We think we have enough incentives to keep your employees on your private insurance as we do for providing you relief if you're a small business for them to go into an exchange," said Lee.
"Moving CHIP children into an exchange will be more costly than CHIP, cover less children, and make million families pay more money for less benefits," said Guerra-Cardus. "We don't think this is the way to go."
Now all that concerned residents say they can do is wait to see how the senate will deal with the bill that promises to save the nation's health care system.
