Healthcare

I have always been an advocate for guaranteeing quality affordable health care for all and find the considerable number of uninsured people in this country lacking access to health care to be a serious problem. This is why I support comprehensive and sensible reform efforts such as HR 676, the U.S. National Health Insurance Act, which would provide all U.S. residents free medically necessary health care. Additionally, I signed the petition for Health Care for America NOW!, which is a large coalition of a wide variety of groups advocating for a reform that builds upon the current health care system; allowing people to keep the health care they already have, or having the option of joining a public health insurance plan.

In order to provide care to all, our healthcare system must be updated and reformed. One step towards achieving this goal is to modernize healthcare records. This is why I am proud to have voted for including the Health Information Technology (health IT) provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (HR 1) as one step towards achieving this goal. Health IT would establish an electronic system that interconnects health care providers across the country. Making this system available to all physicians and hospitals enhances the quality and efficiency of our healthcare system while simultaneously reducing medical costs and medical errors.

Further, I believe the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research plays a crucial role in improving the health of the nation. Though the funding for NIH has fallen behind in the costs of inflation over the last few years, I am pleased that additional funding for NIH has been included in both the Recovery Act and the FY09 Appropriations Omnibus Bill. These investments are necessary to conduct sound scientific research and aid in eliminating racial and gender disparities found in various diseases.

While there are numerous crucial health care issues that we must address in the next few months, I am optimistic that the new Presidential Administration and new Congress will be able to work together to enact meaningful health care reform soon.