It is time that our health care system joins the 21st Century, moving to electronic medical records and away from paper-based records.

During the 110th Congress, I introduced bipartisan legislation, the Independent Health Record Trust Act, which would establish a modern, market-driven, nationwide health information technology (HIT) network by providing for the creation of non-profit health record trusts. A study by the RAND Corporation found adoption of a nationwide HIT network could result in annual savings of $162 billion by reducing medical errors, increasing efficiency and preventing and managing chronic diseases. My legislation would also guarantee customers confidentiality, privacy, and complete control of their entire medical health record.

Thankfully, many of the ideas in my legislation were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA), which was signed into law on February 17, 2009. This legislation, which I supported, provides $19 billion to accelerate adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) systems by doctors and hospitals and directs the federal government take a leadership role in developing HIT standards by 2010. Those standards will allow for the nationwide electronic exchange and use of health information in order to improve the quality and coordination of patients’ care, within a framework of enhanced security and privacy protections. These efforts will help modernize our health care system, saving billions of dollars, reducing medical errors and improving quality of care.

America has always led the world in medical research and innovation. I will continue to support increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control, and other medical research institutions to enable American scientists to continue to discover life-saving cures and advancements in care that improve the length and quality of life for millions.

That’s why I was pleased that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included $10 billion in funding for the NIH, improving NIH facilities and expanding research on diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer and heart disease.

We know that a healthy start in life, early detection of illness and disease, and preventive care reduce costly trips to the emergency room and can bring down the skyrocketing costs of treating chronic disease. That is why I will continue to support measures like the

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act, which was signed into law in April 2007, to ensure that women have access to proper screening. I was also proud to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided $1 billion for the new Prevention and Wellness Fund, including funding for immunization and infection prevention programs.

Over 75 percent of total health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Investing in preventing these chronic conditions is one of the most effective ways to reduce health care spending, saving billions of dollars a year.

Due to the ability of stem cells to transform into other cell types, stem cell research and study has the potential of finding ways to repair the damaging side effects of various medical treatments, produce great amounts of one cell type to test new drugs, develop treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes through transplant, and provide information about the causes and origins of birth defects and abnormalities. Unfortunately, many more years of biological and clinical research are needed before the possibility of this potential can be realized.

I have consistently supported expanding stem cell research because I believe that the potential human health and scientific benefits of stem cell research are staggering in their promise. Federal support of stem cell research allows American scientists to harness this groundbreaking technology and save many lives.

When you buy more of something, you ought to pay less. But that is not how things work when the federal government buys prescription drugs on behalf of 43 million Medicare beneficiaries. That is why I introduced legislation and supported a similar bill, H.R. 4, which passed with bipartisan support in the 110th Congress, to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate a group discount on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries - just as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs does for our nation’s veterans.

Together, Medicaid and SCHIP provide otherwise uninsured children and their families regular health exams, preventive screenings, and other essential health care services. Despite the success of these programs, lack of funding has prevented SCHIP from enrolling millions of children who would otherwise be eligible.

In Washington, we talk a lot about values. I have found in my ten years in Congress that often a true measure of values is not what we say, but where we choose to spend our money. I can think of no better way to spend money than helping children. I fully support the President’s decision to sign bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and extend the SCHIP program, making it stronger and more efficient to ensure that we provide health care to those children living in poverty who need our help the most.