FIGHTING FOR WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION FOR NURSES

• As a nurse, Congresswoman McCarthy understands the need for whistleblower protections in the workplace. She knows that a health care professional's first priority is patient health. If a patient's health is put in danger by negligence, health care professionals need to feel they can speak out for the patient's sake.

It was during the drafting of this bill that the Congresswoman insisted her whistle-blower legislation be included in the bill. It was because of Representative McCarthy's diligent work that the measure was not only put in the original bill, but stayed in during final passage on the floor of the House of Representatives in October 1999.

PROTECTIONS FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS

• Congresswoman McCarthy knows that a nurse's best tools are ones that make it possible to help patients get better and prevent the health care professional from being harmed. It is because of her extensive nursing experience that Representative McCarthy supports H.R. 1899, the Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act. This bill requires the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations to eliminate or minimize the significant risk of needlestick injury to workers.

Congresswoman McCarthy is fighting hard to make prescription drugs more affordable. In 1999, Congresswoman McCarthy's Prescription Drug study proved that Long Island seniors are forced to pay twice as much for their drugs than drug companies' favored buyers. Because of this obscene disparity in prices, Representative McCarthy is a proud supporter of the Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act. This bill will protect seniors from drug-price discrimination, making needed medicine available to Medicare patients at reduced prices.

HMO REFORM

• As the mother of a child who was critically wounded, Representative McCarthy knows all too well that insurance companies have taken control of our nation's Health care system. This is why McCarthy fully supports returning the decision-making process to doctors. In the first session of 106th Congress, McCarthy supported H.R. 358, the Patients' Bill of Rights Act, which protects consumers in managed-care plans and other health coverage.
   
• She also backed H.R. 1304, the Quality Health Care Coalition Act of 1999, which ensures continued patient safety and quality of care by making anti-trust laws apply to negotiations between groups of Health care professionals and health plans and health-insurance issuers in the same way they apply to collective bargaining by labor organizations under National Labor Relations Act.

• As an original supporter of the H.R. 2723, the Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Act of 1999, Representative McCarthy was able to ensure that most of her concerns -- like direct access to OB/GYNs, whistle-blower protections and Health care insurance company accountability -- were cornerstones of the bill. H.R. 2723 passed the House in October 1999.

"Fixing" the overly drastic funding cuts for New York teaching hospitals included in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act has been a top priority for Congresswoman McCarthy. She has helped lead the New York delegation over the last two years in the fight to restore financial support for New York hospitals that provide Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs and health care for a Disproportionate Share (DSH) of the poor and uninsured of New York.

Restoring GME and DSH funding under the Medicare program has been Representative McCarthy's most consistent request of the Clinton administration and congressional leaders. On a monthly basis, she has worked with and encouraged national leaders in the health care funding fight to protect New York's hospitals.

Congresswoman McCarthy's efforts were rewarded in the 1999 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which contained most of her requests to help New York hospitals. The Congresswoman knows that more needs to be done for our teaching hospitals, however. She is committed to continuing the fight to protect our teaching hospitals.

DEFEATING BREAST CANCER

Congresswoman McCarthy is a strong voice in Congress for breast cancer prevention and treatment in this country. She has testified about the alarming rate of breast cancer on Long Island and worked to secure funding for breast-cancer research projects on Long Island through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Congresswoman McCarthy supports and is working hard to defeat breast cancer. Because of this dedication, she is pushing for the passage of the following legislation:

HR 116, the Minimum Hospital Stay for Mastectomies, which ensures that individual and group health insurance conglomerates provide coverage for a minimal hospital stay for mastectomies and other breast cancer treatments;

H.R. 383, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act, which requires health plans to provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies and lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer. It also mandates coverage for secondary consultations;

H.R 547, the Taxpayers' Cancer Research Funding Act of 1999, which will amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide a checkoff box for breast cancer research;

H.R.1070, which provides medical assistance for certain women screened and found to have breast or cervical cancer under a federally funded screening program;

H.R. 1596, the Consumer Involvement in Breast Cancer Research Act, which promotes increased involvement of advocates in decision-making at the National Cancer Institute.

PROTECTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

• Congresswoman McCarthy knows that many people with disabilities on Long Island want to work but are afraid of losing their Medicaid insurance. This is why she worked hard to help pass H.R. 1180, the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Act of 1999. This bill extends the federal health-insurance benefits for workers with disabilities once they return to the workforce.

• In addition, Congresswoman McCarthy is a proud supporter of H.R. 353, the Medicare Coverage for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Act. This bill waives the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with ALS and provides Medicare coverage of drugs used for treatment of ALS.

Throughout her career as a nurse, Congresswoman McCarthy has seen the hardships new parents
experience when a child is born with a congenital or development deformity. It is this experience that guides her in her support of the H.R. 49, Treatment of Children's Deformities Act. This bill requires group and individual health-insurance programs to provide coverage for treatment of congenital or developmental deformity in children.

Congresswoman McCarthy knows ensuring the health of our children is one of society's top priorities. With that in mind, she supports legislation such as:

• H.R.997, the Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act. This bill provides for the expansion, intensification and coordination of the activities of the National Institutes of Health with respect to autism;
   
• H.R. 274, the ASSURE Act. This measure provides surveillance and research to better understand the prevalence and pattern of autism and other pervasive developmental disabilities;
   
• H.R. 2538, the Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national folic-acid education program to prevent birth defects.
   
• In addition to her support of these important programs, Representative McCarthy has written to the House Appropriations Chairman on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, expressing support for the NYU School of Medicine's $2 million pediatric oncology program.

• Because women's health care is one of her top priorities, Congresswoman McCarthy is supporting H.R.889, the Robin Danielson Act, which establishes a program for the collection and analysis of data on toxic shock syndrome.

• She is also backing H.R. 890, the Tampon Safety and Research Act, which provides for research to determine the extent to which the presence of dioxin, synthetic fibers and other additives in tampons and similar products pose any risks to the health of women, including risks relating to cervical cancer, endometriosis, infertility, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, immune system deficiencies, pelvic inflammatory disease and toxic shock syndrome.
   
• In addition, Congresswoman McCarthy believes that many insurances companies are unfair in the coverage they provide women. She is a proud supporter of H.R. 2120, the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 1999. This bill requires equitable coverage of prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, and contraceptive services under health plans.

Representative McCarthy is deeply concerned with ensuring that those who require mental-health or substance-abuse treatment get the care they need. To this end, she supports H.R. 1515, the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Amendments of 1999. This bill prohibits group and individual health plans from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the coverage of mental-health benefits and on the coverage of substance abuse if similar limitations are not imposed on medical and surgical benefits.

• She also supports H.R. 2445, the Mental Health Parity Enhancement Act of 1999, which clarifies the application of the mental-health parity provisions to annual and lifetime visit or benefit limits.

Congresswoman McCarthy is committed to finding a cure for and preventing the onset of osteoporosis. It is because of this commitment that she is a strong supporter of the following legislation:

• H.R. 2471, the Public Health Osteoporosis Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Act of 1999, which provides for screenings, referrals and education regarding osteoporosis.

• H.R. 2294, the Osteoporosis Education and Prevention Act of 1999, which amends the Older Americans Act to help prevent Osteoporosis
   
• H.R. 925, The Osteoporosis Early Detection and Prevention Act, which requires group and individual health-insurance companies to provide coverage for qualified individuals for bone mass measurement (bone density testing) as a means of preventing fractures associated with osteoporosis;

• In addition, the Congresswoman supports H.R. 1109, the Outpatient Drugs Act, which provides coverage of outpatient prescription drugs under part b of the Medicare Program. She also backs H.R. 1115, the Immunosuppressive Drugs Act, which eliminates the time limitation on benefits for immunosuppressive drugs under the Medicare Program.
   
• Finally, Congresswoman McCarthy is fighting hard to help adult children take care of their dependent parents. Representative McCarthy has witnessed the devastation that can take place -- both emotionally and financially -- when an adult children must care for their dependent parents. It is because of her commitment to this issue that she is a strong supporter of H.R. 2096, the Federal Family Health Coverage Act of 1999, which makes available to federal employees the option of obtaining health-benefits coverage for dependent parents.

Congresswoman McCarthy is committed to finding a cure for AIDS. This commitment is why she is a proud supporter of H.R. 2405, the Comprehensive HIV Prevention Act of 1999, which promotes programs for the prevention of additional cases of infection with HIV.

FIGHTING COLORECTAL CANCER

Congresswoman McCarthy has been shocked by the prevalence of this Colorectal cancer. She is a strong supporter of H.R. 1816, the Eliminate Colorectal Cancer Act of 1999, which requires coverage for Colorectal cancer screenings.