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Issues
Health Care
I don’t believe that government controlled medicine in the United States is the answer. One needs look no further than Canada or Great Britain to see the shortcomings of a one-payer system. Rather, I believe we can use our free market system to keep America’s health care system the envy of the world. Solving the problem of America’s uninsured begins with helping small businesses provide coverage to their employees. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of large American companies offer health insurance benefits to their employees. However, only 41 % of small businesses with between 1 and 10 employees offer health insurance because they cannot afford the high costs on their own in the private market. Nearly 63 percent of uninsured workers are employed by small businesses. The Small Business Health Fairness Act, which I have sponsored would help small businesses reduce the cost of providing health insurance to their employees by providing them the same group purchasing power already available to unions and large corporations. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the measure would save the typical small business owner or worker up to 30 percent on a health insurance premium, allowing small businesses to provide insurance to 8 million Americans who are currently uninsured. The measure has passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate. We must have meaningful medical malpractice reform. Too many doctors have been forced to close too many practices because they can ill afford the skyrocketing cost of medical malpractice insurance. It is a serious problem in New York, which, according to the American Medical Association, is experiencing a medical malpractice crisis. Reforming this system is a top priority to help stem the rising cost of health care. The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act would reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits, while fully protecting the rights of individuals who have legitimate claims. The federal government also has a legitimate role in policing the practices of insurance companies to insure that important medical decisions are made by doctors and patients. I authored the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act, which guarantees women reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy. I have also sponsored the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which would put a stop to drive-through mastectomies by requiring insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. The bill also insures improved access to second opinions, lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and other inpatient care. I also supported measures allowing families to designate pediatricians as primary care providers, give women direct access to their Ob/gyn, require insurance companies to fully disclose plan information to the insured and allow patients wrongly denied medical treatment to seek redress in a Court of Law. Finally there are other things the federal government can and should do that would help reduce to the cost of health care and improve our ability to diagnose and treat life threatening diseases. I believe the United States should allow consumers to obtain low-cost drugs from Canada, as long as the FDA has certified the drug safe. As chairperson of the Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus, I’ve spearheaded a number of initiatives designed to strengthen the federal commitment to fighting this terrible disease. I’ve co-introduced the Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act, which calls for $100 M investment for fighting lyme disease over the next five years. Additionally, I helped lead a bi-partisan effort to protect federal funding for the Center for Disease Control’s Block Grant program that provides state and local health departments with funds needed to combat and treat Lyme disease. Access, affordability and accountability are the key needs for high quality health care and, although progress has been made there is more to be done, and I continue to focus on getting it done. Related News
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LINKS TO KEY WASHINGTON NEWS SOURCES
PO Box 599 Katonah, NY 10536 sue@suekellyforcongress.com