Health Care

• As a nurse for over thirty years, Congresswoman McCarthy understands, first-hand, the challenges facing our nation’s health care system.
• Congresswoman McCarthy has fought to help our families and our businesses address the skyrocketing cost of health care.
• She is fighting for commonsense policies to make our families healthier and safer – and is committed to finding ways to lower these costs, while ensuring access to affordable, dependable, and high-quality health care for every American.

 

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Congresswoman McCarthy recognizes that our healthcare system is badly in need of reform.  With rising costs and over 45 million Americans uninsured, the current system is unsustainable.  The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act during the 111^th Congress is a step in the right direction.  As a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, one of the committees responsible for drafting the healthcare reform plan, Congresswoman McCarthy will continue to play a significant role in the oversight and improvement of our nation’s health care system.

Healthcare for Children

Children’s Access to Reconstructive Evaluation and Surgery Act

Congresswoman McCarthy has always been an advocate for expanding health insurance coverage.  It is not enough, however, to simply expand coverage. Congress must make sure that the coverage that children have provides the healthcare that they need.  That’s why Congresswoman McCarthy introduced the Children’s Access to Reconstructive Evaluation and Surgery (CARES) Act in the 110^th and 111^th Congresses. The CARES Act requires individual and group health insurance plans to provide coverage for the surgical treatment of congenital deformities such as cleft lip and palate in minor children covered by those plans.  Health insurance companies often deny coverage for these vital surgeries by labeling them as cosmetic.  The CARES act would require health insurance companies to conform to the American Medical Associations definition of reconstructive surgery and make sure that these children receive the care that they need and deserve. 

Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act

Studies have shown, and it seems like common sense, that healthy children learn better than unhealthy children, yet many schools around our country lack a qualified school nurse.  School nurses play an important role in promoting the health of America’s children.  Children increasingly need hands on care management relating to chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes.  Having school nurses helps these children deal with their health care needs, and school nurse can help to promote a healthy learning environment for all children.  In many underserved areas, school nurses provide children with the only healthcare that they will receive.  For these reasons, Congresswoman McCarthy introduced the Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act in the 111^th Congress.  This bill would provide states with grants to hire more qualified school nurses. 

Healthcare for Seniors

Congresswoman McCarthy understands that our senior citizens deserve special consideration in health care.  America’s senior population has unique needs that need to be addressed.  The Congresswoman is committed to ensuring that our seniors have the best care that is available. 

Medicare

The Medicare program has been vital in providing seniors with the care that they need.   The Congresswoman has worked with her colleagues to strengthen and improve Medicare services.  The Congresswoman has consistently fought against cuts to physician reimbursement in the Medicare program.  These cuts would be devastating to the senior population that depends on Medicare. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also made important investments in health care for our seniors, including: eliminating copayments for preventative care services, closing the prescription drug donut hole, and extending the life of the Medicare program.

Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act

Again, the Congresswoman recognizes that the Congress must also ensure that insurance covers care that is needed by individuals.  Many insurance companies do not provide coverage for hearing aids.  Hearing loss is common in older adults and can result in poor health outcomes and a significant financial burden for families.  That’s why the Congresswoman has introduced the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit in the 111^th Congress which would provide a $500 tax rebate to qualifying individuals who purchase a hearing aid.

Women’s Health

Throughout her time in Congress, Congresswoman McCarthy has worked to improve the health of women across the country.  In the past, not enough attention has been paid to the unique healthcare needs of America’s women.  In an effort to focus attention on these important issues, Congresswoman McCarthy was a cosponsor of the National Women’s Health Week resolution.

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer affects individuals across the country, but is particularly important to Long Islanders, given the higher than normal rate of incidence that exists throughout the island.  Congresswoman McCarthy has worked to improve treatment of and education about breast cancer. 

In an effort to raise awareness about a rare, but extremely dangerous type of breast cancer, Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), Congresswoman McCarthy introduced a resolution supporting increased education and awareness about IBC.  This resolution calls on the federal government to do more to educate women about inflammatory breast cancer, which is often misdiagnosed by women and their doctors because of a lack of awareness of the disease.

Congresswoman McCarthy is a supporter of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act.  This bill would improve healthcare for individuals with breast cancer by ensuring that health insurance includes coverage for a minimum hospital stay of 48 hours.
 

The Congresswoman has also supported the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act. This bill would improve health outcomes by providing for an educational campaign aimed at making young women, their families and physicians aware of the threats posed by breast cancer to young women.

Healthcare for our Military

Congresswoman McCarthy believes that we have to protect and care for those individuals who have sacrificed to keep the rest of us safe.  The Congress is committed to providing our active duty military and our veterans with the highest standard of care possible.

The Congresswoman has fought for legislation to improve funding for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury care and research. 

Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act

The Congresswoman is also a supporter of the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act.  This legislation would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study barriers encountered by women veterans to accessing care through the VA.  The legislation also requires the Secretary to take steps to improve VA health services directed towards women.

Healthcare Workforce Issues

In order to provide quality, affordable healthcare to all Americans, the Congress will have to invest in strengthening our healthcare workforce.  For several years, the United States has faced a severe shortage of nurses and primary care physicians.  Congresswoman McCarthy has been working to provide for a strong, well-trained healthcare workforce that can meet growing demands.

Congresswoman McCarthy successfully fought to have language included in the Higher Education Opportunity Act that addresses the nurse shortage crisis.  The bill provides for increased numbers of nurse faculty to train new nurses, a loan forgiveness program for new nurses, and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate constraints encountered by schools of nursing in admitting and graduating the number of registered nurses .

The Congresswoman also introduced the Nurse Training and Retention Act in the 111^th Congress.  This bill would provide grants to help provide training to ancillary healthcare workers who are interested in becoming nurses.  The bill also provides for continuing education for nurses.