Senate Update: Health care reform is the nation's hot topic

Everyone, it seems, is talking about health care reform.

Whether you’re watching television, reading a newspaper or magazine or scouring the Internet, you’re likely to come across some discourse about the need to guarantee Americans have access to adequate health coverage.

Attempting to fulfill a campaign promise, President Barack Obama is leading the charge to get all Americans insured. The president has urged Congress to pass legislation by the end of the year.

Most people agree there is a need for health reform. According to recent U.S. Census Bureau figures, an estimated 46 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2007. Here, in the Palmetto State, there were more than 720,000 uninsured residents that year, or approximately 16 percent of the population.

Given the nation’s economic downturn, many experts believe the ranks of the uninsured have swelled beyond the estimates of two year ago.

Despite the urgency of the situation, our nation’s leaders should not rush through legislation as President Obama suggested when he insisted that the House and Senate adopt bills before their summer breaks.

Now is the time for careful deliberation. We only will get one shot at such historic reform. We need to make sure any proposal adequately addresses the need. Health care reform legislation needs to include proper checks and balances to prevent fraud and contain costs.

Americans should not face an undue tax burden to pay for health coverage. In addition, paying for access to medical care should not be an obligation we pass along to future generations. And, finally, we should implement reform with minimal impact on the national debt.

Our national dialogue should focus on ways to make the proposal better – and a reality. Too much time, effort and money is being spent stoking fears of concerned Americans by talking about what’s not being discussed in Congress.

America’s conversation about affordable health care began, according to a recent media report, in 1912 with President Theodore Roosevelt. It has continued through President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Harry S. Truman, President Lyndon B. Johnson and President Richard M. Nixon, among others.

And, discourse needs to continue.

A report released last month by Families USA, a nonprofit health care advocacy group, reminds us that more Americans are losing coverage every day. According to the report, an estimated 44,230 people are losing their health coverage each week. That translates to nearly 2.3 million additional people each year.

For South Carolina, the report states 670 people on average are losing health insurance each week, or nearly 35,000 a year.

We’ve been talking about this for nearly 100 years now. And, I applaud President Obama for his commitment, continued dialogue and bringing the concerns to the American people. It is time to address this issue, but we need to proceed with careful, planned, deliberate actions and honest expectations.

It is an honor to serve you in Columbia, and I am grateful for your continued support. As with all matters concerning state government, I want to hear your opinions and suggestions concerning these issues. Please contact me in my Columbia office located at 602 Gressette Office Building. You can reach me, or a member of my staff in Columbia at (803) 212-6008 or by fax at (803) 212-6011. My district office is located at 137 Airport Road, Suite J, Mullins, SC 29574, the phone number is (843) 423-8237 and the fax number is (843) 431-6049. You may also email me at kentwilliams@scsenate.gov.

My business phone is (843) 423-3904. Please use this information to write, call or email me with your suggestions and concerns regarding issues before the Senate and in our community.