Health Care

Rep. Holt with nurses and administrative staff of St. Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey shortly before a press conference to celebrate National Nurses Week and unveil Holt's Nursing School Capacity Act of 2005. (May 9, 2005)

One of the most basic responsibilities of the federal government is to ensure that all citizens – especially the most vulnerable poor and elderly citizens – have access to the quality healthcare that they need. It is unacceptable that in the richest nation in the world, there are 46 million Americans without any health insurance at all. I have worked to protect essential federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I support the creation of a Medicare prescription drug benefit that provides real assistance to seniors and the disabled and is easy to understand. I am working to pass legislation to help small businesses provide health insurance to employees. As the cost of care continues to rise, it is critical that the federal government take the steps necessary to ensure that no American is without the care that they need. Below you’ll find more information and links on this critical issue

Holt-sponsored health care legislation

H.Con.Res.124
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the importance of organ, tissue, bone marrow, and blood donation and supporting the goals and ideals of National Donate Life Month.

This bill expresses support for the goals and ideas of National Donate Life Month (April of every year) and encourages Americans to learn about the importance of organ, tissue, bone marrow, and blood donation and to discuss such donation with their families and friends. The bill also requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to conduct appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to demonstrate support for organ, tissue, bone marrow, and blood donation.

H.R.2184
Nursing School Capacity Act of 2005.
This bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request that the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) conduct a study to: (1) identify the factors constraining schools of nursing in admitting and graduating the number of registered nurses necessary to ensure patient safety and (2) develop short and long-term recommendations to fix the problem. The bill would also direct the Secretary to ensure that the study consider the perspectives of: (1) nurses and physicians in inpatient, outpatient, and residential facilities; (2) faculty and administrators of nursing schools; (3) providers of health plans or health insurance; and (4) consumers.

Holt Statements on Health Care

• July 28, 2005 floor statement on medical malpractice (34 KB)
• June 26, 2005 floor statement on association health plans
  • part 1 (49 KB)
  • part 2 (47 KB)
• July 24, 2003 floor statement on reimportation of perscription drugs (33 KB)
• June 26, 2003 floor statement on the Medical Perscription Durg, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (35 KB)

Reports of interest

• Congressional Research Service analysis of President Bush's State of the Union health proposals, February 2006 (84 KB)
• Congressional Research Service report on stem cells, January 2006 (231 KB)
• Congressional Research Service report on health insurance:- a primer, January 2006 (104 KB)
• Congressional Budget Office report on pandemic influenza, December 2005
• Government Accountability Office report on influenza vaccine shortage lessons, September 2005
• Government Accountability Office report on reimportation, July 2004 (1,019 KB)

Links of Interest

• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of President Bush's State of the Union health proposals
• NIH stem cells page
• NJ Stem Cell Institute
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Long-term care
• NJ Human Services
• NJ Family Care – coverage for kids
• NJ Department of Health and Senior Services
• US Department of Health and Human Services