Dear Mr. Hage:

Thank you for contacting me to show your support for United States National Health Insurance Act (H.R. 676). I appreciate hearing from you.

I share your concerns about the rising costs of health care. Inflation within the medical sector has risen at an alarming rate, and we have seen health care spending rise from an average of $348 per person in 1970 to $5,440 in 2002. There are multiple factors for this, and like you, I believe we must continue to work to expand affordable, high quality coverage. Our ultimate goal is to make sure that every American has access to high quality, affordable health care. Let me assure you that I am committed to improving our national health care system and I will do everything I can to support responsible legislation that expands health care coverage to the uninsured.

As you may know, H.R. 676 is a bill to provide all individuals residing in the United States and in U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services. H.R. 676 legislation has been referred to the Subcommittee on Health, of which I do not sit. Should I have the opportunity to vote on this legislation in the House of Representatives, I will surely keep your thoughts in mind.

You may be interested to know that while much needs to be done, the following are some things I am doing to help improve access to quality health care:

* I am a supporter of allowing families above the poverty line to buy into the Medicaid program, which would ensure that children receive adequate insurance coverage and help ease the burden of high health care costs faced by many middle-income families. Toward this end, I am proud to tell you that I was a cosponsor of H.R. 600, the Family Opportunity Act in the 107th Congress.

* To increase the number of children insured, Congress and our state government have worked together over the past several years to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover all children in the state of Washington living at or up to 250% of the poverty level. CHIP is an excellent program that saves lives. I am now working to ensure that this expansion is maintained.

* I have previously joined many of my colleagues in expressing support for the Medicare Plus Choice program which is designed to help low-income seniors who cannot afford traditional fee-for-service coverage. Please be assured that I will continue to work to ensure that this program is adequately funded to provide health care for those members of our society who need it most.

Clearly, these efforts are just first steps rather than perfect solutions, but I will continue to look for opportunities to work with the state of Washington to expand health care to the uninsured.

Please continue to contact me about the issues that concern you, as I both need and welcome your thoughts and ideas. As a service to my constituents, I maintain a website which contains valuable resources and information on Congressional activities. Please feel free to visit the website at http://www.house.gov/inslee for information on recent issues and to learn more about the services my office provides. If you have not done so already, please visit http://www.house.gov/inslee/signup.htm to subscribe to my e-mail updates.

I encourage you to contact me via email, telephone, or fax, because security measures are causing House offices to experience delays in receiving postal mail. My email address is: Jay.Inslee@mail.house.gov. Please be sure to include your full name and address, including your zip code, in your message.

Very truly yours,

JAY INSLEE
Member of Congress

Dear Mr. Hage:

Thank you for contacting me with your support for a universal health care plan for all Americans. It is good to hear from you.

I want you to know I strongly support increased access to health care services. As you know, 47 million Americans do not have any health care coverage and many more are underinsured. I realize the United States is a leader in medical research, but those advances are wholly inconsequential if health care consumers cannot use them because of prohibitive costs. We cannot expect our communities to grow and thrive if its members cannot receive basic health care services.

I am concerned that our system is becoming more fragmented and the number of uninsured continues to increase. In one of the strongest economies in history, we see fewer and fewer people with access to health care insurance. Without health insurance, access to healthcare services is almost impossible.

During the 110th Congress, several members of the new Democratic Majority have put forth proposals to significantly increase health care coverage. It is my hope that Congress will finally undertake a serious and thoughtful debate about how to increase access to health insurance.

Please be assured I will continue to support legislative efforts that help increase access to health care for all members of our community. The State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) and Community Health Centers attempt to provide a safety net for vulnerable members of our society, but unfortunately, low-income and even middle class workers still struggle with health care costs. I do believe the United States does have the talent and means to provide affordable, quality care to all its community members.

Again, thank you for contacting me with your support for universal health care coverage. Please keep in touch.

I hope all is well in Woodinville.

Yes, that movie struck a chord with me, too.

I’ll be checking into the House Bill (676)

From my years of letter writing, though, I found it much more effective when people wrote letters in their own style, without copying and pasting a generic one.

Thanks for the heads-up on this. With so many people apathetic about politics and government these days, a few committed, dedicated people can really make a difference.