*Written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Narrated by Cokie Roberts, a news commentator for ABC News and NPR and a member of Kaiser's Board of Trustees. Creative production and animation by Free Range Studios.
Today, the average U.S. family pays an extra $1,017 in health care premiums to help compensate care for the uninsured. Small businesses currently pay up to 18 percent more for the same policy as their counterparts at larger firms. The Ford Motor Company's health care costs add $1,500 to the price of each vehicle it manufactures, which is $600 more per vehicle than its foreign competitors pay. Clearly, our health care system is not working, which is why one of my top priorities in Congress is to work on fixing our health care system by reining in costs, giving the power back to consumers, and expanding access. Our nation can only be truly healthy when every American citizen has access to high-quality, affordable health care.
News
Reforming Our Health Care System
In March 2010, Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This landmark health insurance reform legislation puts American families and small business owners-not the insurance companies-in control of their own health care. The bill lowers costs for the middle class and small businesses, holds insurance companies accountable, prohibits denials of care and coverage, including for pre-existing conditions, strengthens Medicare and lowers prescription drug costs - all while creating up to 4 million jobs and reducing the deficit by the largest amount in almost two decades.
I was appointed by Speaker Pelosi to be a lead negotiator in finding a solution to Washington state's decades long Medicare reimbursement inequity. For years, our efficient health care providers have been penalized under an archaic Medicare reimbursement system that rewards the quantity of services provided rather than the quality of care provided. Working with my colleagues in Congress, I secured new money for Washington state's doctors and hospitals to close the reimbursement gap, and in the long term, crafted an agreement to move our reimbursement system to one that rewards efficient quality care - saving taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
Fighting Childhood Obesity
The growing rate of childhood obesity and diabetes is unacceptable. A University of Washington study showed that nearly a quarter of Washington state's eighth, tenth and twelfth-graders are overweight or obese. I worked with a bipartisan group of colleagues, Reps. Kind and Wamp, to author and pass the FIT Kids Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation enables schools, districts and states to get credit under the No Child Left Behind law for improvements that they make to the quantity and quality of physical education taught in schools. Daily physical education at school is proven to help kids do better in school as well as develop the skills, behaviors, attitudes, and confidence they need to lead healthy, active lives and become healthy, active adults. However, due to tight budgets, and requirements under federal policies, many school districts are dramatically cutting physical education programs.
Providing Health Care for 11 Million Children
Congress passed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act to provide cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children and preserve coverage for 7 million children already enrolled.
Tightening Federal Regulation of Tobacco
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, H.R. 1256, grants the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products, the #1 cause of preventable U.S. deaths, and to stop tobacco companies from targeting our children.
Increasing Food Safety
The Food Safety Enhancement Act fundamentally changes the way we protect our food supply, closes gaps exposed by recent food-borne illness outbreaks and gives the Food & Drug Administration new authorities.
Continuing Funding to for HIV/AIDS Treatment
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act guarantees access to lifesaving medical services, primary care, and medications for low-income patients with AIDS and HIV.
