Health Care

 

I believe it is time we ended the tragedy of elderly Americans being forced to decide between food and medication. In addition, the number of Americans on Medicare is expected to double in the next 35 years. Today, one in six Americans has reached the age of 60 and the 85-plus population in Maryland is growing at the annual rate of 3%.  The current Medicare drug program serves drug companies more than seniors. It allows these companies to change the price of prescriptions more frequently than seniors can change their plans, and it is of little help at all in reducing drug costs. That’s why I was pleased to cosponsor the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007, which would provide substantial reductions in the price of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries by allowing the Secretary of HHS to negotiate on their behalf with the pharmaceutical industry.   

Of similar importance is redoubling our efforts to insure the uninsured.

Coverage must be expanded to cover the working family and to ensure that dislocated workers can receive affordable care. Health care should be affordable for small businesses as well. I was a proud cosponsor of the United States National Health Insurance Act, which would provide comprehensive health care coverage to all U.S. citizens.

I recently joined my House colleagues in passing the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 Act (what we call the CHAMP Act). The bill would provide 11 million children with health insurance and improve Medicare benefits for our seniors. Quality, affordable health care is a right, not a privilege.

The re-authorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (called CHIP) prevents 6 million children from losing their health coverage, and contains language that I authored to expand dental coverage for children.

The CHAMP Act improves the program to expand access to another 5 million children who are currently eligible for CHIP but not enrolled. Since it was created in 1997, CHIP has received broad bipartisan support and has proven to be a successful public health initiative.

As I mentioned, the CHAMP Act also includes provisions to provide critical access to dental care through CHIP. I was motivated to push for comprehensive improvements to children's dental health care upon hearing the tragic story of Maryland resident Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy who died in late February from a tooth infection that spread to his brain. I was outraged to learn of the tragic death of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver.  A routine dental checkup might have saved his life. Currently, there are more than 9 million children with no medical insurance, and as many as twenty million with no dental insurance. We must recognize that dental health is an integral component of overall health. The need for sound dental care policy cannot be ignored any longer.

In addition, I applauded the Maryland Dental Action Committee for the recommendations set forth in its report, Access to Dental Services for Medicaid Children in Maryland, and encouraged Governor Martin O’Malley to fully implement the recommendations presented.

The report gives Maryland the opportunity to become a model for the rest of the country and ensure that every child, regardless of race or economic background, will have access to quality dental care.

Many of the recommendations made by the committee echoed suggestions that I made earlier this year outlining steps that should be taken at the state level to improve access to pediatric dental care. Recommendations I made which the Dental Action Committee agreed include:

·         Creating a public education campaign about the importance of dental care

·         Strengthening the dental safety net to ensure that every child has access to a dentist

·         Allowing the state to contract directly with a dental provider, eliminating barriers to dental care

·         Enhancing the dental workforce trained in pediatric dentistry