According to an article that appeared in today’s Chicago Tribune: 
 

“The number of Americans without health insurance rose in 2002 for the second consecutive year as more workers lost jobs and many who remained employed lost medical coverage, a new report says. The ranks of the uninsured rose to 43.6 million, an increase of 2.4 million from 2001, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report scheduled to be released Tuesday. That means 15.2 percent of the U.S. population had no health insurance last year, compared with 14.6 percent in 2001.”

 In response to findings in the report, a White House spokeswoman replied: 
 

“The president is committed to getting the economy growing faster so the number of unemployed and uninsured Americans will go down.”  (White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, Washington Post, 9/30/03).  

Schakowsky said, “At the same time that President Bush’s failed economic policies have cost jobs and loss of health care to millions, his budget proposals would zero out programs like the Community Access Program that help the uninsured and would jeopardize care to uninsured children and pregnant women by ignoring state financial needs and turning Medicaid into a block grant program. The only commitment this President has shown is for tax breaks that benefit millionaires.” 

Read The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities Report on Proposed Medicaid Cuts, March 21, 2003) 

Background:

• Illinois has lost 201,100 jobs under the Bush Administration.  Over 3 million private sector jobs have been lost nationwide.  In addition, the unemployment rate nationwide is at a record high of 6.1 percent, and the unemployment rate in Illinois is even higher, at 6.8 percent. [BLS 9/03]  

• There are 119,500 more unemployed in Illinois than when President Bush took office in January, 2001.   The number of unemployed has risen from 319,200 in January, 2001 to 438,700 in August, 2003.  [BLS 9/03]

• President Bush’s plan helps the wealthy and leaves everyone else behind -- 46 percent of Illinois taxpayers get a cut of less than $100 in 2003.  86 percent of Illinois taxpayers would get a tax break of less than $100 in 2006.   The average tax cut among this group of taxpayers is only $19 in 2003 and 2004, $5 in 2005, and $4 in 2006.  [CTJ, 5/30/03]  

• The GOP tax break leaves behind Illinois families.  Under the version of the child tax credit increase, enacted by the President over 378,000 Illinois families, with 674,000 children, receive no benefit.  That's approximately 23 percent of all the families with children statewide.  [CTJ 6/03]  Democrats successfully forced the GOP-controlled Senate to address this problem, but Republican leaders in the House have refused to do so.