Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

PROTECTING OUR HEALTHCARE AND CONTINUING THE FIGHT

Continued health care reform is essential to our families and our economic recovery. Quality health care is a right, not a privilege, and every American should have access to affordable and high quality health care. Health care reform is also key to our economic recovery--while the US has the highest rate of health spending per capita, we leave millions uninsured, under-insured and without access to essential services. We must find a way to reduce health care costs while providing high quality services to all.

The President showed great leadership in pushing for health care reform. But the Affordable Care Act is not perfect and Washington has not done enough to hold down the costs of health care.

As your Senator, I will:

Develop a comprehensive national strategy to reduce health care costs. Much good work has been done to address the cost of health care, from promoting cooperative and accountable care arrangements between doctors that can make health care more efficient, to aggressive preventative and wellness programs to alleviate strain on our system.

But this is just the beginning -- more must be done to reduce the burden of health care costs on families, working people and the businesses we need to power our economy.

Fight to protect Medicare.

When Republicans took control of Congress, one of the first things they tried to do was end Medicare as we know it by turning it into a voucher program. We can't allow them to do it. I will stand with President Obama against the Republicans' irresponsible plan and ensure our seniors have access to the Medicare coverage that they have paid into their entire lives.

Stand up to Republicans calling the recent health care legislation unconstitutional or who seek to overturn it. The hateful rhetoric and aggressive partisanship of the health care debate is the best example of how ineffective Washington has become.

In the United States Senate, I will work with any Senator, Democrat or Republican, who is willing to address this critical issue constructively and productively. The fever-pitched battle over health care is hurting our country, and we must move on and solve the policy crisis at hand.

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