Healthcare

Healthcare

The future of healthcare reform must focus on improved access to services and a reduction of costs. The soaring costs of healthcare in this country are not only a heavy burden on thousands of American families, but are also the primary drivers of our federal debt and deficit.  Working families in Maine need affordable healthcare coverage. On average, 1 in 5 dollars every Mainer makes is spent on healthcare - that is too much.

The Affordable Care Act was passed to address these issues; provide affordable healthcare coverage for all, provide opportunities to find better ways to pay for healthcare, and assist employers in providing healthcare for their employees. However passing legislation was only the first step and as regulations are developed, it is absolutely critical that they are reasonable, understandable and carefully implemented.

For more information about how the ACA will impact your business check out the Health Care Changes Wizard tool, which provides employers of all size with custom tailored information, based on size and location, about how the ACA provides affordable coverage options to employees while still allowing you to meet your bottom line.  The site will act as a user-friendly hub that connects employers to informational content on tax credits and other provisions of the law from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Treasury Department.  


Other Resources:

Here is a fun and informative video about the ACA from the Kaiser Family Foundation, check it out!

My priorities include:

  • Medicare Drug Savings Act. I am a co- sponsor of the Medicare Drug Savings Act which would eliminate a special deal for brand-name drug manufacturers that allows them to charge Medicare higher prices for prescription drugs for some seniors and people with disabilities, including about 97,000 Mainers.  The bill would require drug companies to provide rebates to the federal government on drugs used by dual eligibles – people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, who are predominantly low-income seniors.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, this legislation would make a significant contribution to reducing the nation deficit, saving taxpayers $141.2 billion over the next ten years.
  • Controlling the costs of healthcare. It is imperative that we fix this failing system to keep it from breaking completely and leaving countless Americans unable to afford the health services they need. Moving toward outcome-based models of compensation, rather than fee-for-service, as well as a greater focus on primary and preventative care will help us improve the system for all.
  • The Preventing Regulatory Overreach To Enhance Care Technology (PROTECT) Act.  Health information technology (health IT) is one of the most innovative and rapidly growing fields of technology in the country. The PROTECT Act gives clarity to the FDA’s overly broad regulatory process by focusing on products that pose a legitimate risk to human health. This more effective, risk-based framework boosts patient safety by prioritizing FDA’s attention to technologies that pose the greatest health risk. It also protects low-risk health IT from unnecessary regulatory burdens that stifle opportunities for job creation, innovation, and improved care. Notably, the legislation relieves categories of low-risk clinical and health software from the medical device tax.