Health Care

Health care in America is in crisis.  Nearly 50 million Americans are uninsured - including nearly 10 percent of our children.  The cost of insurance premiums continues to skyrocket, leaving more and more Americans unable to afford coverage.  I am committed to working to change our flawed system of health care and to ensure that every American has access to affordable, quality health care. 

I support a strategy based on the principle of shared responsibility similar to the Massachusetts Health Care "Connector" Plan.  This plan was enacted when business, government, unions, community groups, and medical professionals came together to create a plan to provide health care coverage to all our state's residents.  Thanks to the Massachusetts Health Care Plan, tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents now have access to quality health care. I favor the most immediate hope for providing health care to all Americans that can be passed and implemented quickly, equitably, and cost effectively.

I will work to implement a national health care plan that includes Regional Health Care Markets to lower costs and increase efficiency.  I will play an active role in working towards prescription drug relief that involves allowing the government to negotiate reduced prescription drug prices and will stand against wasteful giveaways to big insurance and pharmaceutical companies.  I have already cosponsored a bill, H.R. 4054, that would restore and protect access to Medicaid discount drug prices for university-based and safety-net clinics.  Additionally, I will work to ensure that we invest in preventative care and wellness programs and strongly support community health centers.

Children’s Health Insurance:  The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provides health coverage to children whose families can not afford private insurance.  This critical program was originally funded through 2007, requiring Congress to reauthorize the program if federal funding was to continue.  Earlier this year, both the House and the Senate passed legislation to reauthorize and expand this very successful program in order to provide 10 million children, including 200,000 children in Massachusetts, with health care coverage.  However, the President vetoed the legislation.  President Bush and his family receive the Cadillac of health insurance plans yet he is preventing people who need it most from receiving the most basic health care.  I think that is wrong.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program - a program that was first developed in Massachusetts, is critical to the newly enacted Massachusetts Health Care Plan and is necessary to ensure that millions of children across the country have a chance at a healthy, safe future.  I will continue to work with Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress who are working to find a solution to our broken health care system, instead of holding the health and wellbeing of those who are most in need of assistance in the balance.

Supporting Life-Saving Research:  I believe that advancing and supporting stem cell research must be a key part of any healthcare discussion. My family benefited from new and experimental therapies, and I have seen firsthand how innovative research can hold the promise for new preventions and cures. The medical community should not be restricted from utilizing these potential cures to save lives or ease pain and suffering. This potentially life-saving medical research is also essential to ensure that the United States remains a leader in advancing new medical technologies and science.  In addition, stem cell research is crucial to Governor Deval Patrick's plan to make Massachusetts a global leader in life sciences.  Comprehensive embryonic stem cell research is supported by more than 200 organizations and individuals, including: American Medical Association, American Association for Cancer Research, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

I further strongly support a robust investment in the research being advanced at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  The NIH is the largest federal supporter of research and development at US colleges and universities.  UMass Lowell, Formatech Inc. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals among others in the Fifth District, as well as universities and companies throughout the state, are making hopeful advances in life sciences research and developing innovative technologies.  But, they are limited in funding and capital making it even more difficult for our researchers and institutions to compete.

I support substantially increasing NIH funding which not only advances new discoveries, but also continues the strong federal support of vital research programs in Massachusetts; research which will be essential to meeting our ongoing health care demands.