Health Care
As a mother who is now dealing with the health care needs of an aging parent, I know first hand how hard it can be to get the care we need at all ages and stages of life. It is undeniable that there is more our government can do to make health care available to every American. I will fight to prove quality, affordable health care to every American, and workers should be able to take their coverage with them if they change or lose their job. Parents should never have to choose between providing health care for their children or putting food on the table. No husband or wife should have to watch their partner suffer because they cannot afford adequate health care.
In Congress, I will work to:
- Support a health care plan to cover every American, including dental and mental health care. We need to take care of our citizens and their basic health care needs. Across the country, there are 47 million Americans living without health insurance, up 8.6 million since the Bush Administration took office. In New York alone, an estimated 2.6 million New York residents lack health insurance and countless others are underinsured.
- Support a health insurance plan that is affordable, provides options, and leaves medical decisions in the hands of you and your doctor, not the insurance companies. Health insurance is just too expensive for American families. In Congress, I will work to address exorbitant health care costs. In 2005, the average inflation-adjusted health care premium for family coverage in New York was $11,648, a 40.3 percent increase from 2000, and the average premium for individual coverage was $4,377, an increase of 26.5 percent since 2000.
- Work to provide greater long-term health security for seniors so that they are able to grow old with dignity. I believe we must preserve and strengthen Social Security and Medicare for our senior citizens and for future generations. In particular, I will support efforts to fix the Medicare prescription drug program to ensure our seniors get the medication they need when they need it and eliminate the “Donut Hole” in Medicare Part D.
- Support expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to ensure that all children receive health care coverage. There are more than 9 million uninsured children in the United States, and an estimated 405,000 of them live right here in New York. Recent efforts to extend coverage to nearly half of these uninsured children, including more than 260,000 from New York, were opposed by Rep. Tom Reynolds and vetoed by President Bush. We need bipartisan leadership in Congress that will stand up for our children and their health care needs.
- Call for the use of modern, cost-effective medical technology and support evidence-based research. We live in a 21st century society that is using 20th century medical technology. As your Congresswoman, I will fight to bring our medical infrastructure up to the standards we deserve in this country – by requiring the use of electronic records and by working to cut the red tape that discourages medical professionals from going into general practice.. I will also support modern medical research, including stem-cell research, and work to expand the bio-tech industry in Western New York.
