As Congress and President Obama continue to discuss the path forward on addressing our long-term debt and deficit, it is essential that the well-being of the Medicare program be a focus of that conversation. In order to protect Medicare, we need to address the unsustainable growth in spending for the program. I believe one of the biggest tools we have at our disposal to bring these costs down were provided by the health reform bill passed into law in 2010, the Affordable Care Act, which takes important steps to transform our health care delivery system into one that rewards high quality at low cost. That is why I joined 11 of my Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama on September 16, 2011, urging him to prioritize these delivery system reforms in deficit reduction efforts, in order to preserve benefits for Colorado seniors.

On July 22, 2011, I joined 28 senators in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to swiftly adopt new recommendations called for in the 2010 health reform law that would allow women to access more life-saving preventive health services and screenings at no additional cost. As a result, beginning on August 1, 2012, more than 868,000 Colorado women will now have access to these important preventive services without any cost-sharing. I believe that removing cost barriers for women's preventive health care will save lives and ultimately lead to lower overall health care costs when health problems are caught and treated early.

Our service members and their families sacrifice everything for our security, and they deserve the best care we can provide for them. With post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) affecting so many of our returning service members, it is especially important that we address these hidden wounds of war. That is why I recently introduced two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to improve the quality and accessibility of behavioral health care available to these heroes. One amendment would extend suicide-prevention services to active-duty troops and veterans in Colorado and across the country. The second would expand a behavioral health pilot program, which has been successful at Fort Carson, making it available to at least three other Army installations. When it comes to behavioral health care, the military has made significant progress. But the fact remains that too many of our troops return from service suffering from PTSD or TBI and struggle to get access to the care they need. I will always fight to ensure service members and veterans get the care they were promised and that they have earned.

Obesity rates are reaching epidemic levels in the U.S., particularly among children. One in three kids is either overweight or obese - a remarkable increase from the 4 percent of children in the 1960s. Not only can childhood obesity lead to potentially fatal health issues such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, it can lessen quality of life and drive up the cost of health care. First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign has done a great deal to draw attention to the critical issue of combating child obesity, and Congress needs to do its part by helping to support healthier, more active lifestyles in a new generation of young Americans. As part of this effort, I introduced the Healthy Kids from Day One Act, which builds on the new prevention and wellness provisions of the health insurance reform act passed into law in 2010. My bill would create three-year pilot programs in five states to encourage child-care centers to develop obesity prevention programs targeted at children ages birth to 5 years. States would work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on approaches to get kids to be more physically active, eat healthier, and spend less time at sedentary activities like watching television or playing video games. This important bill will lay the groundwork for a healthier America.

Expanding Health Coverage for Our Military Families: As part of health insurance reform, which was signed into law March 2010, young adults are eligible to remain on their parents' health insurance policies up to age 26. In April 2010, I introduced the TRICARE Dependent Coverage Extension Act, to make certain that families of our armed service members are not left behind when it comes to this important benefit. Extending insurance to cover young Americans until age 26 is critical, especially as they make the transition into the tough job market.  Signed into law in December 2010, my bill now provides families who get their coverage through TRICARE - the military's insurance program - with the same benefit.

Included in health reform as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), this amendment (#2955) is designed to address the shortfall of rural physicians by creating a grant program to help expand rural training programs at medical schools. Of Colorado's 47 rural counties, all but three are designated by the federal government as "health professional shortage areas." Now that it is part of law, my hope is that this provision will help train "home-grown" doctors with a real, personal interest in the health of their communities. A 2008 study found that if all medical schools enrolled just 10 students per class in a program like this, we could double the number of graduating rural doctors. 

This amendment (#2953) expands a provision in Affordable Care Act (ACA) that creates a new Community Transformation Grant (CTG) program to help prevent and reduce chronic disease in communities around the country. In order to ensure that big cities are not getting a disproportionate share of this important funding, my amendment requires that these grants be distributed equitably between both rural and urban areas. 

This amendment, which I offered as part of a package (#3119) drafted by 11 freshman Democratic Senators, expands the scope of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (formerly called the Independent Medicare Advisory Board). My amendment directs the board to examine not just Medicare but the entire health care system to find ways to slow the growth of health costs - including steps the private sector could take voluntarily. The provision is based on comments I've heard from groups in Colorado and around the country, ranging from AARP to business to labor organizations, as well as suggestions from the Congressional Budget Office on how best to contain costs.

In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has focused its efforts on the development of "blockbuster" drugs for conditions like hypertension or high cholesterol that will be assured a large market once they are approved. But not all treatments can be "blockbuster drugs" in terms of their lucrative profit potential, and we need to make sure we're incentivizing the development of life-saving treatments for diseases and conditions that can improve and preserve the lives of all Americans. To help push us in that direction, I co-sponsored an amendment (#2866) authored by Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, which was successfully included in the Senate health reform bill signed into law by President Obama.  This amendment is designed to set up a new public-private program at the National Institutes of Health, which would provide grants to encourage companies to develop drugs and treatments that may not be huge money-makers.

In Colorado, much like the rest of the nation, minorities have higher incidences of diabetes, childhood obesity, dental disease, childhood asthma, and other ailments. Many face obstacles to care, including geographic, cultural and language barriers, racial bias, and poverty. This amendment (#2878), which I co-sponsored with Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, strengthens and codifies into law the Offices of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. These offices are critical to monitoring health care trends and quality of care among minority patients in order to evaluate the success of minority health programs and initiatives.