WASHINGTON

THE STATE of the economy undoubtedly remains at the forefront of everyone’s attention. Rhode Islanders contact me daily to express their concerns over high unemployment, slowly thawing credit markets and the continued fallout from the housing crisis. Yet the most persistent and resounding financial challenge for Rhode Island families and businesses continues to be the lack of affordable health-care coverage.

Health-care costs in the United States are rising at an alarming rate, imposing an increasing burden on individuals and placing employers at a serious competitive disadvantage. As we seek to address the complex economic challenges facing America, it is clear that our success will not only depend on our ability to stem housing foreclosures and create new jobs; it will also depend on our will to change a system of health care that is fundamentally flawed and under tremendous strain.

But this is not just an economic or fiscal imperative; it is a moral one. According to a recently released report by Families USA, 254,000 Rhode Islanders were uninsured at some point during the last two years. While these numbers are unconscionable, they come as no surprise. I have continually heard from individuals and families struggling with rising premiums, co-pays and overwhelming medical debt.

In fact, the rising cost of care is one of the leading causes for personal bankruptcy. I have also heard from Rhode Island businesses that want to provide health coverage for their employees but cannot afford the time or expense. Workers who are fortunate enough to have access to health insurance face increasingly daunting costs, while many people are afraid they will lose their benefits altogether.

This cannot continue. I am very pleased that within the last few months Congress and President Obama have already taken significant steps to expand health coverage for children, increase funding to community health centers and invest in innovative technologies that will ensure better treatments and outcomes for our future.

It is only with comprehensive health-care reform that we will achieve substantive change that improves both our nation’s health-care system, and our nation’s health. Fixing our health-care system is also critical to ensuring that the U.S. remains competitive globally, and will prove vital to our long-term economic growth.

I am, therefore, reintroducing the American Health Benefits Program Act, a universal health-care proposal designed to guarantee every American access to the same coverage as members of Congress. This proposal represents my own vision for health reform – one that contains costs, improves quality, increases efficiency, promotes wellness, guarantees universal coverage and encourages investment in treatments and cures for the 21st Century. Each of these principles comprises a key element and important goal within the national dialogue on health reform.

As this conversation continues, I encourage my fellow Rhode Islanders to join the discussion and present their own views for achieving health reform. We are all stakeholders in this important debate, and we will all have a role to play in offering a new vision for health care in America.

James Langevin, a Democrat, represents Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District.