Health Care
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The United States is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet more
than 45 million Americans have no health insurance. Too many hard-working
Americans cannot afford their medical bills, and thus, health-related issues are
the number one cause for personal bankruptcy. Too many employers are finding it
difficult to offer the coverage their employees need.
Promoting affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care was a priority
for Barack Obama in the Illinois State Senate and is a priority for him in the
United States Senate. He believes firmly that health care should be a right for
everyone, not a privilege for the few.
Preserving and Improving Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare and Medicaid represent America's commitment to take care of the
elderly and the poor--some of our most vulnerable citizens. Senator Obama has
voted to preserve and strengthen these programs at every opportunity. He has
voted to restore funding to these programs and has voted against budgets that
cut these programs.
Medicare
Some 42 million American seniors are served by Medicare, including 1.7
million in Illinois. Medicare is a promise we have made to our seniors, and
along with Social Security, it is essential to a dignified and financially sound
retirement. Cuts to Medicare will seriously harm those who have worked all their
lives, paid into the system, and need medical care.
Senator Obama is concerned about the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug
Program and its effect on our nation's elderly and disabled. In particular, he
is concerned with the difficulty enrolling and choosing among a large number of
plans (more than 40 in Illinois), the restrictions on changing plan selection
after enrollment, the prohibition against negotiating for the best drug price or
discounts, and the high costs of the program for seniors.
Senator Obama is a cosponsor of the Medicare Informed Choice Act (S. 1841),
which would extend enrollment without penalty until the end of 2006. This bill
would also allow all Part D beneficiaries to change their plan once during 2006.
Medicaid
Medicaid is the nation's health safety net. Over 53 million Americans of all
ages, including 2 million Illinoisans, rely on Medicaid for their health care.
As a member of the Senate's Medicaid Working Group, Senator Obama will continue
the fight to strengthen Medicaid, as well as help providers who care for large
numbers of poor and uninsured patients.
Improving Quality of Health Care
Senator Obama is pursuing legislative initiatives to help improve health care
quality.
He helped draft and introduce the National MEDiC Act (S. 1784),
which promotes patient safety initiatives, including early disclosure and
compensation to patients injured by medical errors. He also introduced the
Hospital Quality Report Card Act (S. 2359),
which will use federal hospital quality reporting requirements to inform and
assist patients and other consumers in making their health care decisions.
Senator Obama strongly believes that greater use of health information
technology can contain costs and improve the efficiency of our health care
system. He introduced the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program
Efficiency Act (S.
2247), which would leverage the federal government's purchasing
power to encourage increased adoption of technology by participating health
plans.
In 2005, Senator Obama spoke at the commencement of the University of
Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine about the importance of health information
technology. Click
here to read that speech.
Avian Flu
Avian influenza - or bird flu - is a potentially grave health threat to the
U.S. and other countries around the world. Senator Obama was an early leader in
bringing this problem before Congress and pushing for greater funding to improve
preparedness.
Starting in March 2005, he obtained $25 million for international efforts to
combat the avian flu and called for an inter-agency task force to immediately
address this issue. This funding is now being used to mitigate the effects of
the pandemic in Southeast Asia.
Senator Obama introduced the Attacking Viral Influenza Across Nations
Act (S.
969), which calls for collaboration and cooperation at the state,
national, and international level to ensure preparedness in the event of
pandemic influenza. Such preparedness includes the procurement of antivirals,
development of effective vaccines, and improvement of the public health
infrastructure and medical surge capacity in hospitals.
Senator Obama also worked to push $7.9 billion through the Senate to help the
U.S. prepare for the possibility of an avian flu pandemic.
Environmental Health
Senator Obama is deeply concerned with the hazards of lead poisoning. Almost
400,000 children have elevated blood lead levels, including many in Illinois.
Over the past year, one of his legislative priorities has been highlighting the
problems associated with elevated blood lead levels in children. As a member of
the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Obama pressured the
Environmental Protection Agency to issue long overdue rules for home remodeling
and renovation that could prevent 28,000 lead-related illnesses each year,
resulting in an annual net economic benefit of more than $4 billion.
In 2005, Senator Obama introduced the Lead Free Toys Act (S. 2048),
requiring the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to ban any children's
product containing lead.
He also introduced the Healthy Communities Act (S. 2047)
to identify and address problems in communities that are at high risk from
environmental contaminants. In addition, recognizing the contribution of
housing, parks, trails, roadways, and public transportation to healthy
lifestyles, Senator Obama introduced the Healthy Places Act (S. 2506)
to assess and support improvements to the built environment.
Genomics
Genomics is the study of how a person's genetic makeup affects propensity for
disease and response to treatment. Research in this area has the potential to
predict which people will get sick, diagnose illnesses earlier, and screen
patients to determine which drugs will be safe and effective. In August 2006,
Senator Obama introduced the Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act of
2006 (S.
3822), which would increase funding for research on genomics,
expand the genomics workforce, provide a tax credit for the development of
diagnostic tests that can improve the safety or effectiveness of drugs, and
reaffirm the need to protect genetic privacy.