NEWS RELEASE
Committee on Energy and Commerce Democrats
Congressman John D. Dingell, Ranking Member

Democrats Introduce Legislation to
Ensure Hurricane Victims Access to Health Care

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John D. Dingell, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with members from states hit by Katrina and senior Democrats, today introduced legislation to ensure all Americans affected by Hurricane Katrina have access to medication, doctors and hospitals as needed.

“Hurricane Katrina has not only taken a toll on Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, but it has hit this nation as a whole,” said Dingell. “The faces of the devastated and images of the catastrophe command our compassion and help. First and foremost, we need to address the overwhelming health care needs created by this disaster. It is the morally compassionate thing to do, but it is also necessary from a public health standpoint to prevent the spread of disease.”

In response to the needs of the suffering, Dingell and eleven other Democrats introduced the Temporary Disaster Relief Medicaid Act of 2005. The bill provides Hurricane Katrina survivors with health coverage through Medicaid wherever they locate and makes it easier for health providers to care for Katrina survivors. It guarantees full Federal funding for one year for states devastated by Katrina -- Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi -- and for victims of Katrina that have relocated to other states. Finally, it ensures that no Medicare-eligible Katrina survivors are disadvantaged during the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

"Congress’s response to Hurricane Katrina needs to reflect the overwhelming compassion and generosity that exists in this country,” said Dingell. “This bill will ensure that every man, woman and child, young and old, ravaged by Katrina will have full access to medication, doctors, and hospitals as necessary. Victims of this disaster do not know whether they still have a home or job, let alone health insurance; we need to ensure health care for them in the interim."

Additional original co-sponsors of the legislation include Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-08), Representatives Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), William J. Jefferson (LA-02), Artur Davis (AL-07), Gene Green (TX-29), Lois Capps (CA-23), Sherrod Brown (OH-13), Henry A. Waxman (CA-30), Fortney Pete Stark (CA-13), and Charles B. Rangel (NY-15).

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