Healthcare

Health issues affect us all and determining the best means of addressing them is an important part of my work in Congress.

Prior to being elected to Congress, I spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator. As a result, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of access to quality healthcare in rural communities and have become a strong advocate for increased access, affordability, quality of care, and patient choice. I came to Washington to help address the many challenges we face in healthcare and advance these same principles.

On March 25, 2010, Congress passed sweeping legislation that seeks to fundamentally realign our nation’s health care system. This massive health care overhaul—a remake of one-sixth of our economy—will exacerbate the very problems this reform effort sought to address.  I actually sat down and read all 2,000 pages of the healthcare bill. As I read through the measure, I became increasingly alarmed at the level of control over an individual’s health that would be vested in the federal government. Since passage of this bill, my worst nightmares have become a reality as the law’s implementation continues to drive up costs, saddle small businesses with burdensome regulations, and imposes unfunded mandates on the Commonwealth, by shifting costs from the federal government to the states. We must repeal this law and move forward with commonsense reforms that will improve our nation’s healthcare system and provide even greater access to more Americans.

During the 115th Congress, I introduced several pieces of legislation that offered real reform to key areas of healthcare and care delivery. I formally introduced H.R. 1041, the Fairness in Medicare Bidding Act, deficit neutral legislation to fix the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program. Created under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, the DMEPOS program’s goal is to create cost savings. However, both provider and consumer groups have illustrated problems with the program, which will force smaller suppliers from the market, threaten Medicare beneficiaries’ quality of care and ultimately drive up costs. We must allow for a marketplace where seniors have quality and choice and smaller, local providers are competing to deliver these supplies.

For more information concerning my work and views on Health issues, please contact my Washington, DC office.

I look forward to your feedback.

Thank you.

Related Items

• Health Reform Built to Fail: How Medicare rigs competitive bidding and hurts patients (Wall Street Journal)
• House Passes Bill to Protect Medicare & Lower Healthcare Costs while keeping Congress Accountable to the American Public
• Two Years Later, Healthcare Law’s Broken Promises and Uncertainty Continues
• Thompson, Berkley Introduce Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2011
• Thompson, Altmire Begin Bipartisan Push for Fairness in Medicare Bidding Act
• Report Shows Medicare Will Become Insolvent Sooner Than Expected
• Rep. Burgess and I Discuss the Recently Released Medicare Trustees Report
• We’ve Reached 75 Cosponsors Supporting H.R. 1041, the Fairness in Medicare Bidding Act
• Fix Medicare's Bizarre Auction Program (New York Times Blog)
• Thompson to Federal Trade Commission: Proposed Pharmacy Management Merger Would Negatively Impact Rural Communities
• Discussing the Role of Hospitals in Contributing to Economic Growth
• Thompson Votes To Repeal Health Care Bill