Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Issue Position: Health Care

Ensuring that all Ohioans have access to quality and affordable health care is one of my top priorities in Congress. We must work to address the needs of the over 46 million Americans who lack health insurance. Today in the state of Ohio, 1.3 million people are uninsured, including more than 45,000 individuals in Ohio's 6th District. As a member of the Rural Health Care Task Force and the Blue Dog Health Care Task Force, I am deeply committed to strengthening the Medicare system; providing insurance to low income children; and making health care providers more accessible to our rural communities.

Securing the Future for our Children

Everyone deserves quality health care in this country. That includes our children. One of my first votes in the 111th Congress was to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This vital program extends health coverage to four million new children, providing a total of eleven million low-income children with much-needed health care. For Ohio this means that 231,000 children will have their coverage preserved and it will provide coverage for 119,000 uninsured children in Ohio who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in SCHIP and Medicaid. I am proud to report, that on February 4, 2009, President Obama signed this historic legislation into law.

Military and Veteran's Health Care

We have an obligation to care for and honor America's servicemen and women. In 2009, there was over 8 million enrollees in the VA medical system, including more than 330,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Congress has made it a priority to fund health care and benefits that they were promised and that they deserve. That is why in the 110th Congress I supported the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, which improves outpatient medical care for wounded service members at military health care facilities and improves the transition of wounded service members from the Armed Forces to the VA system. During the 111th Congress, I cosponsored the Military Retirees' Health Care Protection Act, legislation prohibiting any increase in premiums, deductibles, copayments, or other charges prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for medical and dental health care coverage for military personnel. For more information about what I have done for veterans, please check out my veterans' issue section.

Improving Access to Health Care in our Rural Communities

Rural practices and patients deserve a better partner in the federal government. The obstacles faced by health care providers and patients in rural areas are vastly different than those in urban areas. Today, most rural health care providers receive lower Medicare reimbursement rates - putting rural providers in a financial bind and making it difficult for doctors to keep their doors open for business. As a member the Rural Health Care Task Force, I will work to ensure that in tackling health care reform, our nation's rural communities receive the attention they deserve.

Health Care Reform

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148). I voted in favor of this legislation and then for a package of changes that are fiscally responsible, pro-life, and contain the common sense health care solutions I sought for our district. It improves affordability for middle class families and extends the solvency of Medicare by over a decade without adding a dime to our deficit. This is not achieved by gimmicks or tricks, but by real savings that will stem the tide of skyrocketing health care costs. I am also pro-life, and firmly believe this bill upholds those values. Furthermore, I was happy to be with President Obama when he signed an executive order on March 24, 2010, that reinforces that no federal money will fund abortion services.

While the entire bill cannot be implemented over night, there are many immediate benefits from this health insurance reform package. They include tax credits for small business-owners who purchase health insurance for their employees, removes devastating lifetime limits on insurance policies, and allows young people to stay on their parents' insurance policy until their 26th birthday. It will stop insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, allow for a new independent appeals process for those who feel they have been unfairly denied a claim and will ban insurance companies from dropping your coverage when you get sick. Finally, this legislation will provide seniors who find themselves in the prescription drug doughnut hole with $250 checks to help pay for prescriptions this year.

This has been one of the most debated bills in Congressional history and spurred so many people, on both sides to get involved in the democratic process. I know that this plan isn't perfect, but it is a strong step forward. I considered the input of both proponents and opponents as I made my decision. I firmly believe that our economy needed this reform and that our families needed this reform. If you like your doctor, and you like your insurance, you can keep them. However, if you need insurance or if you need your insurance to be more affordable, this is the help you've been wanting for. This is an historic bill and I am proud to have cast my vote in favor of common sense health reform that finally benefits people, and not insurance companies.

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