Congressman Sander Levin

Health Care

Our current health care system is broken.43 million Americans lack health insurance, including 9 million children. Millions more have insurance that is inadequate to meet their health needs and prevent financial hardship. I am committed to updating our health care system so that all Americans have the quality health care they need.

This session, I have worked with my colleagues to implement a number of reforms aimed at strengthening our health care system. Children’s health has been a top priority of the Democratic-led Congress in 2007 and 2008. I am a strong supporter of extending and improving the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I voted for the CHAMP Act of 2007 which was approved in the House of Representatives on August 1st, 2007 by a vote of 225 to 204. This important legislation would have extended SCHIP and improved Medicare for all beneficiaries. Unfortunately, President Bush vetoed this legislation, as well as a second related bill. On December 19, 2007, the House of Representatives passed a short-term extension of the SCHIP program [S. 2499]. The bill was signed into law by President Bush on December 29, 2009. This legislation extends the SCHIP program until March 2009.

On June 24, 2008, I supported and the House passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. This legislation made a number of important improvements to the Medicare program. It increased the number of services that can be covered under Medicare preventive care benefits and added new elements to the Medicare welcome visit, including a discussion of end-of-life care. It reduced co-pays for mental health care from 50% to the 20% required for most other services over a period of six years. It extended premium assistance for low-income seniors. And it prevented a 10.6% cut in payments to physicians for treating Medicare patients. I also co-sponsored a bill with Representative Lloyd Doggett [H.R. 6600] that would protect the privacy and financial security of Medicare beneficiaries by phasing out the display of social security numbers on Medicare cards.

Prescription drugs save lives and improve patients’ quality of life. But to do so they must be affordable to the people who need them. President Bush’s policies prohibit Medicare from negotiating with pharmaceutical companies on the prices of prescription drugs, creating a windfall for pharmaceuticals at the expense of ordinary Americans. I strongly support legislation to grant Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices on behalf of beneficiaries.

I also believe mental health services are a critical component of health care. I support legislation that would create an equal playing field between mental health services and other medical services. The passage of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 is an important step toward establishing mental health parity in Medicare, but the fight continues in the arena of private health insurance. I am a cosponsor of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007, which would require mental health parity in private insurance plans. The House passed this bill on March 5, 2008 by an overwhelming margin of 268-148. The legislation is now pending in the Senate.

• Children's Health Care
• Women's Health
• Health Research
• Lowering the cost of Prescription Drugs
• Mental Health