Senator David Vitter

Health Care

You can access the Senate proposed Health Care bill here.

You can access the CBO score of the Senate Health Care bill here.

You can access the House proposed Health Care bill here.

Congress must make health care more accessible and affordable for all Americans. Over 43 million Americans are uninsured. Prescription drug costs are skyrocketing.

But I oppose the Obama health care plan because it allows Washington to take over health care decisions from doctors and patients. The president's "government option" would quickly become the dominant option or the only option. Independent studies show that up to 60 percent of Americans would be forced onto the government option. I'm also concerned that the Washington-run plan would ration care, limit choices for patients, and put bureaucrats in charge as is the case in England and Canada.

Some of the steps I am taking to improve health care for all Americans include:

Supporting a strong Patients Bill of Rights, even when it means standing up to my own party leadership.

Authoring legislation to extend LaCHIP, Louisiana's children's health care program.

Voting to make health care premiums 100 percent deductible and to create new tax breaks for elderly home care and dependent care.

Writing legislation to provide tax cuts that will help increase access to long-term care insurance.

Writing legislation to allow reimportation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.

Writing legislation to speed up the approval of generic drugs so Louisianans can buy cheaper versions of FDA-approved prescription drugs

Fighting frivolous lawsuits that are driving doctors out of business and increasing costs for patients.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Food and Drug Administration

Centers for Disease Control

National Institutes of Health