Health Care
Reducing Health Care Costs and Ensuring Access to Quality Care
As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Reed has offered legislation to reform and modernize our nation's health care system.
Senator Reed is widely recognized as a champion of children's health initiatives. In December of 2006, Reed prevented the Senate from adjourning for the year, blocking several key bills until Congress addressed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding shortfall. Reed forged an agreement with fellow lawmakers that prevented over 600,000 children nationwide from potentially losing their health insurance and provided $18 million to help alleviate pressure on Rhode Island's state budget. Last year, Senator Reed led the effort to fully fund an extension of CHIP, providing $49 million to preserve coverage for over 24,000 Rhode Islanders.
He also earned bipartisan praise for his work to create a new program to combat lead poisoning in communities with the highest rates of lead poisoned children. As a result, Rhode Island received over $47.2 million in federal lead abatement funding, the most per capita of any state in the nation.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Reed strongly supports funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and health care workforce development and education. Scientific research, coupled with greater public education and awareness, has helped prevent and treat many diseases, easing patient suffering and lessening the burden on families and the American health care system.
Between 1998 and 2003, Senator Reed supported the historic doubling of NIH funding, which led to considerable progress in our understanding of life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, and better treatments for heart disease and stroke victims. More work remains and Senator Reed believes that we must continue to robustly fund NIH. In fiscal year 2007, Rhode Island received $143 million in grants from NIH.
Senator Reed is the author of the bipartisan Conquer Childhood Cancer Act, which would provide $30 million a year to expand pediatric cancer research through the NIH, expand public awareness programs, and create a national childhood cancer registry. His bill, which has over 60 cosponsors, was overwhelmingly approved by the HELP Committee and unanimously passed the House of Representatives.
In May of 2007, President George W. Bush signed Reed's Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act into law. Reed's bill establishes critical care networks nationwide so that more paramedics and first responders can get trauma care patients to the right doctor at the right time. The law also creates a new competitive grant program for states like Rhode Island that have already begun the process of establishing a trauma care system using national standards.
Senator Reed is committed to ensuring access to a choice of affordable, quality health care for all. With Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, he introduced a bill to make health insurance more affordable for small businesses and their employees by covering most of their catastrophic costs.
He has also been a staunch defender of Medicare and Medicaid, and has held several workshops to help more elderly and disabled Rhode Islanders understand the prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
Recent News:
Reed Announces Nearly $5.5 million in Federal Funding to Combat Lead Hazards in Providence
Dodd, Reed Seek to Improve Sunscreen Safety Standards
Reed's Conquer Childhood Cancer Act Signed Into Law
Rhode Island Receives Over $3.3 Million to Help People with HIV
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