Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Our healthcare system is flawed-- it's complex, confusing, and is becoming less affordable as years go by. Spending on healthcare amounts to 17% of our gross domestic product. I don't believe that the $1 trillion law passed by the Democratic majority in Congress will fix the fundamental cost problems that our health care system faces. In fact, it may further harm some of the pieces of our system that are actually working for patients.

*I believe we can lower costs, insure more people, and increase healthcare quality.

*I will work to repeal the recently passed healthcare law, and replace it with common sense reforms that will help Americans afford quality care.

*Emphasis must be placed on low-cost preventive healthcare. Affordable cancer screenings, nutrition services for diabetics, and medications that stave off major illnesses are important investments that can save lives and money.

*I support the integration of health information technology in hospitals, doctor practices, community health centers and other parts of our health system. High quality health information technology tools can save money, time, and lives-- particularly when the use of these tools prevents medication errors and other problems.

*I support a plan that covers pre-existing conditions and fully funds existing programs for vulnerable patients so that they can get good coverage at an affordable rate without increasing premiums across the board.

*I support efforts to make it impossible for insurance companies to simply cancel a patient's coverage when there is no evidence of legitimate fraud.

*I support medical liability reforms to curb the number of "junk" lawsuits and reduce costs for the system as a whole.

*I support mechanisms that allow small businesses to pool together through Association Health Plans or other means that give them greater bargaining power when it comes to health plan premiums.

*I support plans to allow Americans to purchase properly regulated insurance products across state lines in order to increase competition in a market that is largely made-up of state monopolies or oligopolies.

*While the recently-passed healthcare law limits the usefulness of Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts, I support making these products more available and more useful for budget-conscious families.

*I do NOT support massive new government spending in the healthcare sector that will only increase our debt, expand inefficiencies, and limit consumer choices in the health market.

Cancer Work Highlights

As a breast cancer survivor, I know the importance of early detection and prevention. I am co-chair of the House Cancer Caucus, and often work with my colleagues to fight this deadly disease.

*I sponsored and passed legislation to provide treatment for breast and cervical cancer for low-income, uninsured, and under-insured women.

*I sponsored and passed legislation to direct the NIH to conduct further research into possible environmental triggers of breast cancer- particularly in young women.

*I co-sponsored legislation to provide funding and resources so that doctors have more information available to them about screenings and symptoms of breast cancer in young women-- a population that is often misdiagnosed.

*I opposed the recommendations of a government panel, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which indicated that, in most cases, only women 50 and over should have regular breast cancer screenings.

*I co-sponsored and passed legislation to re-authorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which is active in all 50 states.

*I support sensible increases in research funding for programs at the NIH and other sites that are developing tomorrow's disease treatments and cures.

*I co-sponsored legislation to require that insurance companies continue to cover routine costs associated with cancer care while a patient is enrolled in a clinical trial-- to combat a trend that cancer patients discovered while enrolled in these trials.

*I voted to re-authorize the Mammography Quality Standards Act, which established national and uniform standards for mammograms.

Source