Shelley Moore Capito - Congresswoman

Reforming and modernizing our health care system will be a top priority for the 111th Congress. With over 40 million uninsured Americans, this is not a partisan issue; rather, it is one that Americans must come together to solve. By combining the efforts of federal and state programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP with private sector solutions, we can work towards true health care reform.

As a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, Congresswoman Capito was proud to have been an integral player in the development of the Children's Health Insurance Program for West Virginia. This program insures more than 24,000 low-income children in the Mountain State and gives them access to quality healthcare.

The Congresswoman also wants to see Medicare modernized for the 21st century so that our seniors and disabled populations have access to the modern health tools they need. This is why Capito worked to bring Medicare Part D to West Virginia, giving Mountain State seniors access to a prescription drug benefit under Medicare. As the Vice Chair of the Speaker's Task Force on Prescription Drug Reform in the 107th and 108th Congresses, Congresswoman Capito played a key role in drafting this important legislation.

Rep. Capito is also a strong proponent of Health Savings Accounts, which allow consumers to have greater control over their health care expenditures by allowing them to save, tax free, for health care expenses. This means that patients can have a more open discussion with their health care provider of what is best for them and can then make a decision on how they want to utilize their resources.

First available in 2004, enrollment in these plans has grown to over 6 million Americans and continues to rapidly increase each year.

President Obama has already announced that healthcare will be a priority in the coming months and the Congresswoman looks forward to continuing her work to ensure there is universal access to healthcare for all Americans.