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Rep. Castle believes all
Americans should have access to quality and affordable health care, and the U.S.
should lead the world in developing promising scientific research.
- Stem Cell Research - Rep. Castle
is the House architect of the Congressional effort to expand federal stem
cell research policy. He authored
The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which has been vetoed twice by President
Bush. He advocates for expanding
scientific research in regenerative medicine and believes that biomedical
advancements in treatment and prevention of diabetes, Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's, and certain forms of cancer should be actively pursued. Rep. Castle has also supported
legislation to establish strict ethical guidelines for such research and
also an effort to create a nationwide cord blood registry for donated
umbilical cord blood for treatment and research.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Rep. Castle
believes it is vitally important to provide critical funding for the NIH
and the CDC, so they may continue research, prevention, and treatment
efforts on the many devastating diseases facing us today, as well as
increased education and awareness about disease prevention and management.
Rep. Castle is a strong supporter of pursuing all ethical forms of promising
scientific research and has consistently supported funding for NIH, which after
being doubled between 1998 and 2003 has remained flat in recent years. Congressman Castle has been recognized
with the 2007 Morris K. Udall Award for Public Service by the Parkinson's
Action Network (PAN), the American Society for Cell Biology Public Service
Award in 2007, the American Society of Hematology Award for Public Service,
the 2007 American Heart Association Public Service Award, and the Crohn's
& Colitis Foundation of America 2007 Public Policy Leadership Award
for his dedication to medical research in the United States.
- Helping
the Uninsured - Rep. Castle supports access to quality, affordable, care
for all Americans. In the 110th
Congress, Rep. Castle has been working on a solution to expand the State
Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to reach a total of 10 million kids,
and supports outreach efforts at the national and state level to ensure that we
are working to enroll those kids who may already be eligible to participate. Rep. Castle supports legislation that would
fund a diverse array of creative programs to extend coverage to the uninsured
at the state level: the proposal would
test strategies that span the political spectrum in order to see which are most
effective in protecting Americans already enrolled in health insurance programs,
while expanding health care coverage to Americans in need. Additionally,
Rep. Castle is a strong supporter of Community Health Centers, which provide a
critical health care safety net. Other
areas Rep. Castle believes are important in the health care discussions that
are happening nationally include focusing more on prevention, finding greater
efficiencies in the system, and improving electronic records.
- Prescription
Drugs - Rep. Castle believes that the rising costs of prescription
drugs are an obstacle to seniors in terms of affordability. He has supported legislation to allow for
the safe reimportation of pharmaceutical drugs from other countries, and
for a direct negotiation mechanism to allow the federal government to
purchase pharmaceuticals in bulk to reduce cost for those participating in
Medicare prescription plans.
- Delaware Health
Information Network (DHIN) - Rep.
Castle continues to work with the Delaware Health Care Commission,
Delaware Medical Society, Delaware Health Care Association, hospitals,
business community and the Delaware Delegation on the Delaware Health Information
Network, which became the first Statewide Health Information Exchange
system in the nation when it was launched in 2007. Rep. Castle worked with the Delaware
Delegation to secure $4.7 million in federal funding for this project.
- Cancer - Since the time Rep.
Castle unveiled the Delaware Cancer Control Strategy as Governor of
Delaware, he has been a strong supporter of cancer prevention, treatment
and research. In addition to
supporting funding increases for cancer research at the National Institutes
of Health and the Department of Defense, Rep. Castle supports passage of
the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, the Conquer Childhood
Cancer Act, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in
Congress, and legislation to improve the screening of pap tests for
detecting cervical cancer.
Congressman Castle was the 2007 recipient of the American Cancer
Society's National Distinguished Advocacy Award. This award is the highest national
advocacy honor bestowed by the Society and is in recognition of the
Congressman's ability to bridge the partisan divide in pursuit of the
fight against cancer.
- Nursing - Recognizing the nursing
shortage will negatively impact patient care, Rep. Castle has supported
legislation and funding to recruit and retain nurses and to help nursing
schools support staff and infrastructure.
- Diabetes
- As co-chair of the House Diabetes Caucus, Rep.
Castle works to educate members of Congress and their staff about diabetes and
to support legislative activities that would improve diabetes research,
education and treatment. Please visit the Diabetes Caucus website, http://www.house.gov/degette/diabetes/,
for information on legislation and activities supported by the Caucus.
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