Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Approximately 44 million Americans, or more than 15 percent of the total population, are uninsured. Tragically, one third of them are children. According to studies, Florida ranks sixth in the nation in terms of the percent of its population living without health insurance coverage, with the majority of its uninsured living in South Florida.

As a Member of Congress who is committed to universal health care coverage, I will continue to explore ways to improve access to necessary health services to the uninsured, alleviate the cost of prescription drugs for our seniors, and ensure Medicare funding to hospitals and Medicare payments to physicians and other health care providers.

One important issue that has dominated Congress' health care debate has been adding a long overdue prescription drug plan to Medicare. More than 34 percent of those living in Florida's 23rd Congressional District are above age 55. For decades, Democrats have been working to ensure all seniors have access to affordable, quality and fair healthcare.

With a new Democratic majority, my colleagues and I are finally able to deliver on these promises to America's seniors.

I am a proud original cosponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Act of 2007 which successfully passed in the House on January 12, 2007. This legislation repeals a misguided provision in current law that explicitly prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from entering into negotiations with drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs for the 43 million beneficiaries of Medicare. I am quite proud that the bill passed on the House floor by a bipartisan vote of 255 to 170.

In Congress, I am leading the fight for a real prescription drug benefit plan under Medicare. I, along with many of my fellow Democrats, stand behind a plan that is:

* Affordable: With reasonable premiums and deductibles designed to significantly reduce the price of prescription drugs;

* Meaningful: With defined and guaranteed benefits;

* Within the Medicare program: Not a separate privatized plan that lets HMOs make all the decisions about costs and benefits; and

* Available to all seniors and disabled Americans on Medicare no matter where they live, rural or urban, or what their incomes are.

Additionally, I strongly support efforts to pass a comprehensive Patients Bill of Rights that will improve access to necessary health services for all.

Due to Republican budget cuts to our nation's healthcare system, our state and local healthcare providers have struggled to provide basic services to those in need. This unfortunate reality particularly applies to addressing the healthcare needs of people infected with HIV/AIDS.

For the past several years, the Republican Congress systematically cut funding for many programs sponsored through Ryan White authorized funds, forcing Florida counties to downsize their programs. This then resulted in a subsequent reduction in access to critical care for those in need.

Last year, when Palm Beach County experienced significant cuts to Title III funding, I joined forces with other members of the Florida delegation, as well as local and state health care professionals, to request that The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) immediately restore funding to the area. Following this appeal, a percentage of the funding was restored. The fight to make sure South Florida receives the adequate funding required to care for our sick is one that I take seriously and will continue to work on diligently.

When it comes to our nation's heath care system, any and all inadequacies must be addressed through smart and consistent reform in order to ensure that all of our nation's citizens have healthy and productive lives.

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