New York City, April 23, 2003. Declaring that "there is a great divide, a Grand Canyon between those who have health coverage and those who do not," Rep. Dick Gephardt offered a plan to provide health insurance to 97 percent of the 41 million uninsured Americans through tax credits to employers, reimbursements to state and local governments for health care costs, and expansion of the SCHIP and COBRA programs. Gephardt would pay for the plan by repealing the Bush tax cuts*; he put the cost at $214 billion in 2005, $231 billion in 2006, and $247 billion in 2007. Gephardt told an audience of 1199 SEIU members that his proposal is "much more than just a health care plan." "It's also an economic stimulus plan designed to create jobs and get this economy moving again," Gephardt stated. [transcript of speech]
