U.S. Congressman David Scott : 13th District Of Georgia

Download David's latest & previous District Newsletters.

Download Newsletters

Click Here For More Information

Home / Issues / Page

Healthcare

Throughout my years in public service, from the Georgia legislature to the House of Representatives, I have made it one of my main objectives to ensure and promote the health and well-being of my fellow Georgians. We have much work to do, but I believe with dedicated efforts, we can achieve success. With 47 million Americans without health insurance and millions more underinsured, there is no question our nation is facing a healthcare crisis.

Every American should be confident that whether they lose their job, change jobs, become sick, or just grow old, they will be able to find affordable, high quality healthcare. We must also focus on ways we can make it easier for employers to provide health insurance to their employees and incentives for employees to purchase healthcare plans. The traditional system is failing hard working Americans and causing additional burdens on families. Access to high quality health care should be available to all American regardless of where they live, their racial ethnicity or income. However, racial and ethnic minorities are too often denied the high quality health care many other Americans receive. Furthermore, I have and will continue to be a vocal advocate for the Medicare and Medicaid programs and will continue to lend my full support to ensuring these important programs do not field drastic cuts included in the President’s FY ’08 Budget.

I share the deep concerns of 13th District residents about the state of healthcare in our country. As we continue to struggle with crippling diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and HIV/AIDS, I believe the promise of a cure for these and many other conditions is just around the corner. However, the research and treatments programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control must be adequately funded. Unfortunately, NIH funding has remained flat for the past few years.

I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure healthcare continues to be at the forefront of our discussions. It is of utmost importance, and Georgians deserve no less. I am here to work for Georgia, and I will continue to put forth a dedicated effort towards quality healthcare initiatives.

Grady

As hospitals throughout the country are facing decreased funding, an influx of uninsured patients and an overcrowding crisis in their various emergency rooms, Grady is no exception.

As Atlanta’s main level 1 trauma center, handling about 900,000 visits a year, I am working hard in Congress to ensure sufficient funding is allotted to this important institution. However, I do understand that the elected officials of Georgia must work along with the hospital to ensure adequate management is in place and funds are going where needed.

Grady is so important to Georgia and even neighboring states, as people from around the Southeast partake of its services. I want to ensure Grady continues its first class services and continues to serve as an example of what a first rate public hospital should be.

SCHIP

October is Children’s Health Month, and as a cosponsor of H. Res. 760, which recognizes the goals and ideals of Children’s Health Month, continuing to raise awareness of the health and well-being our children is of utmost importance. And, at no other time has the state of our children’s future been so in jeopardy as with the current partisan bickering over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program’s reauthorization. Surely, if the President can find billions to fund the war in Iraq, we in Congress can find the funding to ensure Georgia’s children do not lose their health insurance coverage. Allowing for some 273,000 of Georgia’s children to go without healthcare would be unconscionable. Furthermore, many soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have kids who depend on this vital program for their healthcare services. It doesn’t make any sense to cut these kids off as their mom and dad continue to put their lives in danger in defense of our country.

I believe states should not be penalized for signing up eligible children because ensuring our nation’s children are covered will only save money in the long run. I was hopeful for a bipartisan reauthorization of this important program and the House did manage to pass the bipartisan bill. However, on October 2nd, the President unfortunately vetoed H.R. 976 which would have provided 10 million of America’s children with health care coverage. The vote for passage in the House of 265 to 159 and in the Senate of 67 to 29 sent a strong and clear message that Congress cares about our nation’s children and failing to ensure this program is funded, is a failure to provide for the most vulnerable.

Concerns have been raised regarding several provisions in the bill and during recent negotiations these concerns were addressed in the new version of the bill the House recently voted on. The revised bill would cap SCHIP coverage at 300 percent of poverty, if the Social Security Administration cannot confirm an applicant’s citizenship, the applicant must provide additional documentation to confirm, childless adults are phased out over one year instead of the original two year time frame, and all states will be required to develop plans and implement recommended best practices for minimizing “crowd-out.”

The Children’s Health Insurance program has always been bipartisan. We have seen governors of both parties across this country in strong support of this bill. Senate Republicans and Democrats have joined together on the veto-proof vote the President ignored. We will work to override the President’s rejection of health coverage for 10 million children and will continue to send the bill back to the president.

SCHIP was created as an innovative program to provide health care coverage for children in families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. Over the last ten years, the children’s health program has proven to be popular and successful program with 6 million children now enrolled in the program.

It only costs $3.50 a day to cover a child through the Children’s Health Insurance program. Insuring kids is also cost-effective for taxpayers who pick up the tab for indigent care in emergency rooms – the most expensive way to care for a child’s health – as well as because a healthy child is more likely to succeed in education and life.

The program is supported by 43 governors, 260 organizations representing millions of Americans and is supported by a strong majority of Americans. We must ensure we do not let our children down at the expense of political maneuvering and game playing. I am determined to continue to work with my colleagues to ensure this program remains strong and a viable source of health care coverage for millions of America’s children.