Issue Position: Health Care, Prescription Drugs and Seniors

Issue Position

Issue Position: Health Care, Prescription Drugs and Seniors

Health Care

Over the last decade, advances in health care services and treatments have had a profound impact on our lives. We're living longer, healthier lives today because new tests, treatments and therapies now help us detect health problems earlier, immunize our children against crippling and life-threatening diseases, and aggressively fight against diseases when they strike. The problem is, though, if you don't have access to health care services, all the new advances in the world become meaningless. Today, rural communities throughout Missouri and across the nation continue to be underserved by health care services, and it's getting harder every day.

Few issues are more important, particularly to those citizens living in the rural communities, than adequate, affordable and accessible health care. As a Representative of rural Southeast Missouri, Jo Ann is acutely aware of health care concerns affecting rural communities. Many of the hospitals in Missouri's rural Eighth Congressional District are facing extreme financial difficulties. One hospital has already closed its doors to patients, and several others are in critical condition. Even one hospital closure can have a disastrous impact on rural communities. Unlike our urban relatives and friends, most rural residents and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries do not have the option to choose another health care provider or travel a short distance to seek health care services when those in their own community have been eliminated.

The bottom line is that rural Americans face very unique challenges when it comes to accessing affordable health care. Fortunately, there are many steps that can and should be taken to increase access to quality health care in rural areas. We can enhance rural health care through common sense Medicare policies that use fair payment policies, that support home health care, and that stop paying hospitals for training fewer doctors. We can cultivate rural health care providers through the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program, and tax-free scholarships in the National Health Service Corps. We can help strengthen our rural hospitals by expanding the number of hospitals that can qualify for rural health care grant programs such as the Critical Access Hospital designation program. We can support new communications technologies such as telemedicine, which has the potential of becoming the breakthrough technology for rural residents, improving their access to specialized and emergency health care, and attracting and retaining health care providers in rural communities. Jo Ann is working on all of these options and more in Congress with the help of the House Rural Health Care Coalition and the Congressional Rural Caucus.

Seniors and Prescription Drugs

A prescription drug benefit for seniors in 2003 will be a top issue on Congress' agenda.

In 2001, the average Medicare beneficiary was spending $942 a year on prescription drugs. That, coupled with news that the price of prescription drugs is expected to increase 20 percent this year, has left many wondering if there will ever be an end to the skyrocketing costs of the drugs that many of our seniors depend each and every day.

Because today's Medicare was built for yesterday's medical care, Medicare has not kept pace with new medical advances and cost-effective treatments that utilize prescription drugs. Comprehensive reform is critical.

Additionally, the plan must be available to all - including those living and working in rural areas. Only then will our seniors have a Medicare prescription drug component that provides choice and accommodates advances in health care.

After working with many others who are concerned about the rising costs of health care, and having introduced two prescription drug plans of my own, my goal is to find an affordable and workable solution to this problem. We took a step toward that goal at the end of 2002 when President Bush announced his decision to close loopholes in existing law (Hatch-Waxman) with regard to generic drugs. This much needed action, which is somewhat similar to the legislation I introduced during the 107th Congress, should bring savings to consumers, the government and private insurers. I am encouraged by this development and remain hopeful that we can build on this new momentum and find a long-term solution to a problem that has affected our seniors for far too long.

Source