Health Care
Priorities
Health Insurance
Every single Montanan deserves quality affordable health insurance, and I’m fighting to make that a reality. With Montana's rate of uninsured growing rapidly, we must do all we can to maintain existing coverage and expand it for those who lack insurance. I believe we can reduce the numbers of the uninsured by building on initiatives like CHIP and Medicaid, as well as through employer tax credits. As the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, with jurisdiction over the major public health insurance programs and the tax code, I'll continue to seek ways to reduce the number of uninsured.
Quality Health Care
The United States spends twice as much on health care as any other country, but studies have shown that the quality of care often lags. It's been found that Americans receive recommended care and treatment only about half the time, and these missed opportunities are expensive. Each year, inappropriate and poor-quality care costs the U.S. health system more than $1 billion in avoidable hospital bills and 41 million lost work days. We have a lot of work to improve our health system's quality – and to make sure we are getting good value for each dollar invested. I believe improving the quality of health care can reduce health care costs and stimulate our economy.
Asbestos Related Diseases in Libby, Montana
As a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, it's been one of my top priorities to see that Libby, Montana residents get the assistance they need. Libby residents have been exposed to asbestos since 1963, when W.R. Grace purchased and began operating the Libby vermiculite mine. Reports estimate that up to 200 residents have died and hundreds more have become sick from asbestos-related diseases. At its peak, the now-defunct W.R. Grace mine in Libby produced about 80 percent of the world's supply of vermiculite, which is one of the most hazardous sources of asbestos.
For years I've fought to help Libby receive millions in federal funds to provide health resources for the residents, including funds for Libby's Center for Asbestos Related Diseases. I’ve been to Libby 21 times and I’ve seen first hand the lives that have been touched by this tragedy. I'll continue to stand up for the folks in Libby until the town is issued a clean bill of health.
Methamphetamine
Meth is a real scourge in our state and it isn’t going away quietly. We have a real fight on our hands. Fighting meth is a very personal issue for me.
In early 2000, I first began to understand the dangers of this drug and I started to raise the issues back at home and on Capitol Hill. I brought then-Drug Czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey to Billings to hear his thoughts on methamphetamine use. That was seven years ago, and we’re still fighting as hard as ever.
I’m encouraged by the success of the Montana Meth Project, and I have a plan to make sure meth use continues to decline in Big Sky Country. There are several key components to getting rid of meth in Montana and around the country – law enforcement, treatment, and prevention. I’m working on a three areas simultaneously.
Law Enforcement: Law enforcement officials need the tools to clean up the meth labs and stop the dealers from pedaling this very destructive drug. The main thing law enforcement officials need is money. That’s why I fought so hard to get Montana included in Rocky Mountain HIDTA. It was a long struggle, but I was committed to twisting arms at every level until we were included in HIDTA. It took a full two years, but we finally got it done. Now Montana receives money for law enforcement to target meth use.
Ever since I got Montana included in Rocky Mountain HIDTA we’ve been fighting to keep Congress from cutting those important HIDTA dollars. Between HIDTA and Byrne grant funding I’ve brought more than $2 million to date to Montana. I led the effort to keep HIDTA funding steady and you can count on me to continue working to bring more dollars to our state to fight meth.
Prevention: Two years ago I launched a state-wide public service campaign last year that included a 30-second television spot highlighting the dangers of meth use. I also kicked off my own meth tour traveling around the state, holding meetings with students, and talking about the dangers of meth. Last year, I worked even harder on prevention and have already spoken to more than 2500 high school students about meth during my meth prevention school assemblies. I brought Montana Meth Project founder Tom Siebel with me to show the students the new Montana Meth ads that are working to make sure the message “not even once,” is on the minds of all young people.
Every time I meet with students I’m amazed by how many students are affected by meth. They have friends that have tried it or are hooked. And then there are those whose parents are addicted.
In the coming year I’ll continue to meet with kids and their teachers, but I’m also going to meet with parents as well. One of the best ways to keep kids off meth, to prevent them from trying it even once, is to get the parents involved. Parents need to talk to their kids about the dangers of meth. Parents need to stay involved in their kids’ lives. And I want to be there, to help participate in the dialogue between parents and kids about how awful meth is and how it can ruin families.
We had a major victory last year in the fight against meth – we successfully got pseudoephedrine, one of the key ingredients of meth, off the shelves and behind the counter. I had been fighting for this move for some time now and am glad we succeeded. This was a huge step. Law enforcement officials said that this was a big victory and it’s one we’ll continue to build on.
Treatment: We also must focus on treatment for meth abusers. We need to get those who are addicted to meth the medical care and treatment they need and deserve so they can kick the habit and get back on track. Last Year, I worked with Senators Grassley, Rockefeller, Snowe and Hatch to have the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 passed and signed into law. This law creates a competitive grant program to help individuals, addicted to meth and other substances, receive treatment for the entire family including therapeutic services for their children. So I’m committed to preventing another generation from falling victim to meth and to working to providing more options for those who are hooked on meth to help them get clean and stay clean.
The best way to knock out this awful drug is by working together – sharing ideas, talking about what works and what doesn’t.
Health Information Technology
The United States spends about twice as much per person on health care as other industrialized countries. And yet our health outcomes are often lacking, and an estimated 47 million of us have no coverage at all. We need to get more out our health care dollar. A good way to do that is to improve the use of health information technology (IT). Doing so can reduce costs, improve quality and help patients make better decisions about their health care.
Expanding use of health IT will make our health care system more efficient, reduce errors and help bring down costs. Health IT also provides a platform for standardizing and collecting data to move toward paying for performance – another way to improve efficiency and decrease costs. The health care industry lags behind other industries in incorporating IT, and the U.S. is far behind other industrialized countries in adopting health information technology.
I will continue to work to improve the use of health IT, so that Montanans receive the best care possible. In an effort to build grassroots support for health IT coordination in Montana, I established the Montana Health IT Task Force in January 2006. The Task Force is now known as HealthShare Montana and it is making real progressing advancing the ball on health IT, but the federal government has to do more.
I am very proud of the efforts underway in Montana to bring the health care system into the 21st Century. However, the U.S. health care system needs to modernize and use all the tools at its disposal to create a more efficient, effective system, which is why I remain committed to working on meaningful health IT legislation. I will continue to work for legislation that provides financial support so that providers in Montana and across the country, especially rural physicians, can afford to adopt IT.
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