I am commited to providing quality health care for seniors and expanding access to all Americans. It is vital for our country's future. One of the most pressing health care concerns is the impact that managed health care has on the quality of care that people receive in Western Illinois. To address these concerns, I sponsored and voted for H.R. 2723, the Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Actof 1999, which passed the House of Representatives by a voate of 275-151 on October 7, 1999. H.R. 2723 would improve care by:
- Returning medical decisions to doctors and patients, ensuring that
physicians and not insurance companies are free to determine what
treatments are medically necessary and appropriate.
- Ensuring access and coverage for emergency health care
services.
- Improving health care for women by guaranteeing the choice of a
obstetrician/gynecologist as a primary care physician.
- Establishing an internal and external appeals process for denials of
care, and creating real accountability for health plans that wrongfully
deny care.
- Ensuring access to specialty care, including pediatric specialists
for children.
To promote access to quality and affordable care, I have also:
- Sponsored H.R. 225, the Self-Employed Health Affordability Act of
1999, which would increase to 100 percent the deduction for the health
insurance costs of self-employed individuals.
- Worked to secure $12 billion in critical funds for hospitals,
nursing homes, and home health services that are a lifeline to care in
Western Illinois.
- Supported efforts to dedicate a portion of any budget surplus to
Medicare to strengthen its long-term stability and provide a
prescription drug benefit to seniors.
- Worked as a member of the Diabetes Caucus to expand Medicare
coverage of outpatient diabetes self-management and training
services.
- Worked successfully to increase medical research funding by 15% in
1999, 2000 and supported efforts to expand rural health care services
and create parity for mental health coverage.
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