111th Congress: Action On Health Care

During the 111th Congress, I have agreed to co-sponsor the following selected measures which deal with health care. This is not a comprehensive list of all the legislation I have co-sponsored related to health care. You can view a comprehensive list at the Legislation Co-Sponsored Section of this site or through the Library of Congress Thomas site.

Legislation I've supported includes:  

• S. 307.  A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide flexibility in the manner in which beds are counted for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital under the Medicare program and to exempt from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation the number of beds provided for certain veterans. Introduced by Senator Crapo and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) on January 22, 2009.
• S. 343.  A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage services of qualified respiratory therapists performed under the general supervision of a physician.  Introduced by Senator Crapo and Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) on January 29, 2009.
• S.391.  A bill to provide affordable, guaranteed private health coverage that will make Americans healthier and can never be taken away. Introduced February 5, 2009.
• S. 1020.  A bill to optimize the delivery of critical care medicine and expand the critical care workforce. Introduced by Senator Crapo and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) on May 12, 2009. 

Other actions I have taken to support Idaho health care initiatives include:

• Advocated for funding for critical Idaho health care projects in FY2010 budget. 
• Participated in a number of roundtable and Member walkthrough sessions sponsored by the Senate Finance Committee, on which I serve, on topics including delivery system reform, coverage and financing health care reform. 
• Held four health care forums around Idaho during April 2009 to hear the thoughts, concerns and ideas of Idahoans. 
• Sent a letter in May 2009 to the National Institutes of Health in support of increased funding for the National Cancer Institute.
• Co-signed a letter to the Labor/HHS Appropriations Committee in support of a number of rural health programs that are important to Idaho including the National Health Service Corps, the Rural Health Outreach, Network Development and Telemedicine Grant Program, the Rural Health Research Grant Program, the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, the Small Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Act, the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act, the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, the State Offices of Rural Health, the Consolidated Health Centers Program, the Rural EMS Grant Program and Health Professions Program.
• Sent a letter, along with Senator Blanche Lincoln, with whom I co-chair the Senate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Caucus, requesting $1 million in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to develop a national CDC response plan for COPD. 
• Co-signed a letter to the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee in support of $2.602 billion in funding for the Community Health Centers Program. 
• Co-signed a letter to the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee in support of $75 million in funding for the YMCA Healthy Communities Program at the CDC.
• Sent a letter, along with Senator Brown, to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in support of $10 million in funding for the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program at the Department of Defense. 
• Sent a letter in April 2009 to the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee in support of a $6 billion funding increase for the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
• Co-signed a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of $10 million in funding for the ALS Research Program within the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense. 
• Supported efforts to make heart and stroke research and funding a priority. As Senate Co-Chair of the Heart and Stroke Coalition, Senator Crapo will send a letter to President Obama urging him to make heart and stroke research and funding a priority in the new Administration.  Also joined with Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) , in recognition of February as American Heart Month to raise awareness about heart disease. 
• Co-signed a letter to Mary Wakefield, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the new definition of “patient” under the Public Health Service Act Section 340B Drug Discount Program.  This program provides discounts to inpatient pharmaceuticals for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs), community health centers and many other safety net providers.  The letter recommends a reevaluation of this rule in order for these hospitals and health providers to continue to provide care to underserved patients. 
• Co-signed a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding proposed payment cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.  The letter expresses concerns about the proposed cut and the subsequent negative impact on beneficiary access and premiums.
• Engaged the Congressional Budget Office regarding the deficit impact of the health care reform legislation.  Click here for a copy of my letter; click here for a copy of the response from CBO.

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