Healthcare

The United States spends a large and growing share of national income on health care. In 2005, health spending is expected to be about $1.9 trillion, more than 15% of gross domestic product (GDP). But despite paying more than twice as much per capita as other developed countries, basic health statistics like life expectancy and infant mortality for the United States are about average. The United States is one of only two industrialized nations that does not offer universal, government sponsored healthcare. There are more than 45 million Americans without health insurance, more than 9 million of them children. Of the uninsured, 56 percent are low income, and although minorities make up approximately 34 percent of the population, they comprise over half of the nation’s uninsured.

Congresswoman Lee has been at the forefront of the fight to make high quality healthcare accessible for all. She has supported efforts to cut the number of uninsured in half by expanding access to affordable health coverage for the nearly-elderly, low-income working parents, and small business employees.

Congresswoman Lee has long been a leading voice in the fight to make access to healthcare universal. She has fought to establish a United States Health Service (USHS) and provide health coverage for all Americans. The measure was first introduced in 1978 by her predecessor, Rep. Ron Dellums, and has been a priority for Lee since her election in 1998.