September 27, 2000

Dear Representative:

We write to urge you to sign a "Dear Colleague' letter circulated by Senator John Rockefeller and Representative Henry Waxman calling on President Clinton to dedicate funds from the budget surplus for universal health care coverage. With over 44 million Americans uninsured and the number still growing, we believe it is time lawmakers addressed this problem.

Your signature on this letter to President Clinton will indicate your willingness to devote funds from the budget surplus to guarantee affordable health insurance for all Americans. The letter will be shared with Senate and House leadership as well and will serve as evidence of the Congressional support for this initiative.

Consumers Union (CU) believes there is sufficient data to show that the marketplace is clearly not working to solve the problems of the uninsured and underinsured. In the September issue of Consumer Reports in an article entitled Second-Class Medicine, we found that people without health insurance coverage often do not get the quality health care that they need. A more comprehensive report by CU, The Health Care Divide, showed that the financial burden of health care weighs heavily on the sick and on families with low and moderate incomes.

With the budget surplus growing beyond our expectations, we should not allow this opportunity to expand affordable health care coverage to all Americans slip away. We urge you to join the effort to put universal health care coverage back on this nation's agenda by signing the attached "Dear Colleague" letter.

Thank you for your consideration on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Hahn Senior Counsel

Gail Shearer Director, Health Policy Analysis Washington Office