Our current health care system must be improved. The status quo is unacceptable, but reforms must be practical, affordable and not cost Hoosier jobs. Senator Bayh supports fiscally responsible health care reform that will not increase the federal deficit or raise taxes in ways that will cost jobs or hurt our national economy.

As governor of Indiana, Senator Bayh’s efforts to fundamentally reform Medicaid, provide greater access to quality care, and ensure more community-based care opportunities for children with disabilities and Hoosier seniors, became role models for the nation. In the Senate, he has continued to fight for access to quality, affordable long-term care for seniors; pushed for life-saving cancer research; passed legislation to strengthen the quality of care available to children; and fought to give small business more opportunities to provide affordable health care coverage for their employees.

Making Health Care Affordable

Small businesses are the most dynamic part of the nation’s economy, spurring innovation and growth that creates good-paying jobs for middle class Americans. However, rising health care costs threaten to stifle this growth for many small businesses. To help small businesses, which employ half of Indiana’s workforce, meet this challenge, Senator Bayh has authored legislation to help make health care a more affordable option for small business owners and their employees. Specifically, he has proposed providing a 50 percent tax credit to small businesses that offer health benefits and the opportunity for small businesses to join state-run purchasing pools to increase their bargaining power with health insurance companies, giving them greater leverage to provide better coverage for their employees at lower rates.

Championing Care for Seniors

As a member of the Special Committee on Aging, Senator Bayh has worked to make sure seniors have access to affordable, quality long-term care. Legislation authored by Senator Bayh, that was signed into law, protects hard-working Americans from losing their savings to pay for long-term care and gives states the flexibility to allow more seniors and children with disabilities to be cared for at home instead of in institutions. Modeled after the successful program Senator Bayh initiated as governor of Indiana, the legislation also removes federal barriers that prevented other states from following Indiana’s lead and increases the number of companies offering policies and providing individuals with more choices and more benefits.

Senator Bayh cosponsored the Nursing Home Resident Protection Amendment to prevent nursing homes from evicting residents who rely on Medicaid to cover their expenses. He also introduced the Medicare Prescription Emergency Guarantee Act to protect seniors from being forced to leave their pharmacies empty handed as a result of confusion, lost enrollments and other problems connected with the private drug plan. He has also fought to create a $3,000 tax credit to help ease the financial burden families incur when they are responsible for caring for a loved one at home.

Providing Quality Care for Children

Senator Bayh has been a long-time supporter of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides much-needed coverage for more than 133,000 Hoosier children. When red tape put Indiana at risk of losing $150 million in extra SCHIP funding it had earned as a result of its high success rates in enrolling children, Senator Bayh worked to re-secure the funds and provide coverage to thousands more children across the state. He has also led the fight to raise the level of care available to the nation’s children, introducing the Children’s Health Care Quality Act last year. The legislation, which was included in the Congress’ reauthorization of the SCHIP program, would give the Health and Human Services Administration the authority and resources to develop and test innovative and effective children’s health care practices.

Fighting Cancer and Finding a Cure

Senator Bayh has been a long-time supporter of research and innovation that would lead to a cure for cancer. He introduced the Breast Cancer Research and Screening Act, which called for tripling the National Institutes for Health’s (NIH) breast cancer research funding to address the fact that despite receiving NIH approval, as many as 75 percent of promising research projects go unfunded each year. Additionally, his legislation would increase colorectal and breast cancer screening rates by removing Medicare co-pays, while extending the window of opportunity for new Medicare beneficiaries to receive cancer screenings.

Countering the Nursing Shortage

Nearly 50,000 qualified nursing applicants were turned away in 2008 due to nursing faculty shortages nationwide, contributing to a shortage of nurses that is projected to increase to as many as half a million nursing vacancies by 2025, according to the American Nursing Association. To counter this alarming trend, Senator Bayh introduced the Nurses’ Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act of 2009, which creates a loan repayment program for registered nurses who commit to teaching four years at an accredited nursing school over a consecutive six-year period. The Bayh plan directly addresses the financial gap that deters nurses from becoming educators, creating a powerful recruitment tool to increase nurse faculty and allow more students to become registered nurses.

Preventing Discrimination Based on Genetic Information

Senator Bayh has worked to protect Americans from having their genetic information used against them by insurance companies or employers. He was a strong supporter of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which was signed into law in 2008, to prohibit health insurance companies from using genetic information to deny insurance coverage or increase premiums for people who may be predisposed to certain diseases. The legislation also forbids companies from requesting or requiring genetic tests and prohibits companies from making hiring or firing decisions based on an employee’s genetic information. GINA will pave the way for people to take full advantage of the promise of personalized medicine without fear of discrimination.

Supporting Medical Device Innovation

Indiana has the third highest number of jobs created from any state’s medical device industry, employing an estimated 63,300 Hoosiers. Senator Bayh chairs the Senate Medical Technology Caucus, which provides a forum for discussion of critical issues facing medical technology, such as the important role health monitoring technologies can play in improving public health. To bolster this essential Hoosier industry and other business development, Bayh has consistently supported extending the research and development tax credit and has called for making the credit permanent.