Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

As Congress continues to debate our spending priorities for the coming years, Americans are very concerned about the impact our decisions will have on their health care options. I will continue to advocate for access to affordable, quality care for all Americans and protection of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries from drastic cuts.

HEALTH CARE REFORM -- THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

During the 111th Congress, I voted to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, historic legislation overhauling our nation's broken health-care system. This new law will be taking effect over the next several years, but several benefits are already being felt by the American people, including:

Children with pre-existing conditions are no longer denied coverage
Allows children to remain on their parents' insurance plan until age 26
Provides free preventive care and services under insurance plans
At least 85% of all premium dollars collected by insurance companies for large employer plans must be spent on health care services and health care quality improvement.

For more information about how this landmark new law will impact you, visit Understanding Health-Care Reform: Info on Affordable Health Care for America Act.

MEDICARE

Medicare is a federal insurance program that pays for covered health care services of qualified beneficiaries, including individuals 65 and older. I have continuously fought to protect our seniors from the rising costs of health care. As my colleagues and I continue to look for ways to make Medicare more efficient, I am committed to maintaining a high quality of care.
Access to health services and prescription drugs through Medicare is only the first hurdle our seniors face as they deal with problems such as serious illnesses and living on fixed-incomes. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act eased some of the burdens on seniors by helping seniors close the gap between coverage and out of pocket expenses for prescription drugs.
To ensure access to quality care for Medicare beneficiaries, I believe Medicare physicians and providers should be paid fairly for their services. During my time in Congress, I have voted time and again to protect physicians from harmful cuts to their Medicare reimbursements. I am also cosponsoring H.R. 3519, legislation to protect Medicare providers from the automatic 2 percent cuts that were part of the Budget Control Act of 2011.

MEDICAID

Medicaid is an entitlement program that provides health coverage to low income Americans. Eligibility for Medicaid was generally limited to low-income children, pregnant women, parents of dependent children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. However, recent changes will soon provide coverage other low-income individuals, such as childless adults. I worked hard to extend this important coverage to these vulnerable groups through passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I will continue to defend this program from cuts that would limit benefits and reduce the quality of care for low-income individuals.

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