Healthcare

Whether you have seen the full-page ads when you opened your newspaper, or a billboard truck winding through the streets of Washington, AARP speaks loud and clear when we say “DON’T VOTE Read more...

The following is a joint entry from Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), sponsors of H.R. 1507, the Safe Food Act:

Last week we were all shocked to learn of the multi-state E. Coli outbreak from bagged spinach that claimed the life of one person and put so many in the hospital. This horrible outbreak reinforces the need for a strong, consolidated food safety inspection system.

That is why we are calling on Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) to hold a hearing on our "Safe Food Act" legislation. This legislation would consolidate all food safety agencies and establish the Food Safety Administration, responsible for the creation, administration and enforcement of our food safety laws. Under current law, food safety monitoring, inspection and labeling functions are spread across 12 agencies in the federal government. The involvement of so many agencies can result in duplication of responsibilities, service gaps and inconsistencies and confusion about which agency oversees different types of food.

E. coli is most often associated with contaminated meat, but this outbreak demonstrates the need to be alert on all fronts. That is why the Energy and Commerce committee should act on the Safe Food Act immediately.

Would you purchase a car without reading what costs the car dealership added?  Then why should we expect health care consumers to purchase their care without seeing the true cost?

Outside of terrorism and the War in Iraq, the affordability of health care is among most American's chief concerns.  One reason why health care does cost so much is that it is difficult for the consumer to influence the price at any point.  A myriad of payers, government and third parties have obscured the cost of care over time to the point where it is even difficult for practitioners to know how much services cost.

I have devised a new way of looking at health care transparency.  My legislation, H.R. 6053, The Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2006, will oblige states to create systems that would require hospitals to disclose charges, to provide access to that information, and to have health plans provide a statement of the estimated out-of-pocket costs of an individual for anticipated future health care services.

The American health care system needs a healthy dose of transparency so that consumers can truly be knowledgeable and responsible for making their own health care decisions.

Rep. Mike Ferguson wants to change the Constitution to make abortion a crime even in the case of rape or incest. My campaign recently launched a new television commercial informing voters of his extreme position on choice.

I have long worked to protect women’s health and defend a woman’s right to choose while in public office. I will always support legislation guaranteeing women access to safe, legal contraceptives and abortion services. I trust women to make the right decision. Nobody – especially Mike Ferguson – has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body. That decision is between a woman, her family, and her doctor.

Watch my commercial and let me know what you think.

Five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the destruction of the World Trade Center is still claiming victims. Huge numbers of the thousands of rescue and recovery workers who gave their time, skills, and strength at Ground Zero in the days, weeks, and months that followed the attacks have since developed serious respiratory health problems. A Mount Sinai Medical Center study released just last week shows that 70 percent of Ground Zero workers exposed to the site's toxic dust and debris have developed new or worsened illnesses since 2001.

This alarming study highlights the still-urgent need for congressional investigations into the safety and health of Ground Zero workers and first responders in general. Yet the Republican leadership of the House Education and Workforce Committee, the committee with primary jurisdiction over worker safety issues, has refused to hold even a single hearing on this issue, despite repeated requests for hearings by Democrats on the committee. It is beyond shameful that Republican leaders on our committee have not devoted any time to the severe health problems afflicting Ground Zero workers, especially since our committee has not had hearings scheduled on more than 70 percent of the days that Congress was in session over the past three years.

Other lawmakers have recognized the gravity of this issue. In fact, a House Government Reform subcommittee held a field hearing on Ground Zero workers' health on Friday. However, without the attention of the proper committee with oversight and expertise on worker safety issues, many critical questions remain unanswered. It is long past time for the Education and the Workforce Committee to hold hearings.

As the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina continues to remind us, first responders, relief workers, and volunteers play key roles in times of emergency, whether terrorist attacks or natural disasters. We rely on these courageous workers to save lives and rebuild communities. In turn, they must be able to count on their government to minimize the risks they face while on the job. Ensuring their health and safety - a matter of national security - should be one of Congress' highest priorities.

The district that I represent in North Florida is predominantly rural, and I have seen firsthand the unique challenges that these communities face when it comes to access to quality, affordable healthcare.  Currently, rural hospitals and clinics are struggling due to inadequate reimbursement rates and physician shortages.  Also, folks in rural areas often have to travel hours to the nearest healthcare facility.  Too often rural communities are left out of national policy decisions, and this must change.

Yesterday, I joined my colleagues, Reps. Pomeroy and Walden of the Rural Health Care Coalition, to introduce new legislation to improve access to healthcare services in rural America.  The Healthcare Access and Rural Equity (H-Care) Act (HR 6030) is comprehensive, bipartisan legislation that helps to stabilize elements of our nation's rural healthcare infrastructure and correct many inadequacies in the current system.  Specifically, this legislation raises reimbursement rates to rural health clinics, extends several expiring Medicare payments for rural practitioners, and increases payments for rural ground ambulance services.  I encourage all of my colleagues to support HR 6030 so we can better meet the needs of our constituents in rural areas.

Congresswoman Maloney and I unveiled federal legislation yesterday to reopen the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) to provide financial assistance to the heroes who worked at Ground Zero. Our bill comes one day after the release of a Mt. Sinai study which revealed that 70% of 9/11 responders have developed new or worsening respiratory problems as a result of their service.

The bipartisan legislation is named in honor of Detective James Zadroga, who is the the first 9/11 responder to have his death directly attributed to his exposure to the toxins of Ground Zero. Our bill would ensure that rescue workers, students, federal employees and residents in the area have - for the very first time - access to federal funding for treatment of health issues due to 9/11.

Specifically, the legislation removes the December 22, 2003 deadline for filing a claim with the fund, allows a revaluation of certain claims and removes the arbitrary deadline that would only make eligible those who were at Ground Zero within 96 hours of the attacks.

This legislation is needed because the long-term health impacts of 9/11 will remain unclear for many years. Therefore, it's essential that federal resources be available to treat those who are sick or injured today as well as workers who fall ill in the future. The 9/11 heroes who dug through the rubble to find those who were lost and who cleared the site of debris now face their own medical challenges. The Fund represents the most realistic and efficient way to ensure that those who need medical treatment get it without undue delay.

While the cost of Medicare will inevitably continue to grow, we must ensure that taxpayer dollars are well spent and that health care will become affordable. That's why, when elected, I will fight to require Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower drug prices and close the coverage
gap known as the 'donut hole.' Curt Weldon has taken $62,000 in donations from the pharmaceutical and health product industry for his campaigns as well as $144,000 from insurance companies. It comes as no surprise that the giant drug companies are funding commercials thanking Curt Weldon; they've raked-in billions in profits as a result of the Bush/Weldon Medicare D plan at the expense of local seniors. It's ironic that these ads have aired just as an untold number of Pennsylvania seniors are facing the coverage gap known as the 'donut hole.'

This Labor Day, there should be no confusion for Republicans as to why Americans are fed up with their economic policies and are looking for a change.  A recent Census Bureau report shows that 37 million Americans are living in poverty, and the number of those living in the category of extreme poverty has risen sharply.  The data also reveals that income from earned wages fell in 2005 when compared to 2004.  This is the second straight year in a row that wages have dropped for men, and the third consecutive year wages have fallen for women.

In simple terms, the report shows that more families are living paycheck to paycheck, unable to save for college for their kids or afford health insurance.  Americans are increasingly concerned that the American dream will not come true for their families and that their children will not have it better than they did.

Democrats believe that hard work should be rewarded with fair pay, and one way to ensure that is by increasing the minimum wage.  Congress has not raised the minimum wage since 1997 and, consequently, it is at its lowest level in fifty years (when adjusted for inflation).  A full-time minimum wage worker earns only $10,700, which is dramatically below the poverty line for a family of four.

The time has come for Congress to raise the minimum wage.  Democrats believe that an increase from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over two years is a reasonable increase.  In the wealthiest nation on earth, it is simply unconscionable that hardworking Americans do not make enough money to meet their families most basic needs.  Democrats are committed to a new direction for our country that will raise the minimum wage and bring Americans who work hard and play by the rules out of the grip of poverty.

Shelbie Oppenheimer wants to see her daughter grow up.

Yes, politics and policy can sometimes be that simple. People on the campaign trail often comment on how hard it must be to run for office. They ask me: why put in the hours? Why shake the endless hands? Why meet the countless folks?

The answer is simple: the chance to meet – and one day help – courageous people like Shelbie.

Shelbie lives just outside of Philadelphia in New Hope, with her husband and eight year old daughter Isabel. A little over a decade ago she noticed a slight twitch and weakness in her left hand. Like most of us, she didn’t think too much about it. A few months later, she noticed the muscles in her hand had deteriorated further, so she and her husband sought medical advice. After a barrage of tests, she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a fatal disease that will eventually leave her unable to walk, talk or breathe.

She was 28 years old. Read more...