WHY I AM RUNNING FOR OFFICE

TOP THREE ISSUES |OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM | ENDORSEMENTS

Our health system is unbearably strained by the more than 40 million uninsured Americans and the overburdened health workforce. I believe that we must make critical changes to improve health care coverage in the United States.

The American Hospital Association’s Seven Steps to a Healthier America underscores how drastic these changes must be. It is abhorrent that many children in our country have no access to health care. It is unconscionable to deny a woman in labor access to emergency services because of her immigration status. It is fiscally irresponsible of us to not provide adequate preventive care coverage.

As Denver’s Representative and as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I have fought for health insurance for all children and adequate funding for our hospitals that serve the uninsured. As the co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, I have sought improved care for the more than 18 million Americans with diabetes. I believe that chronic diseases, like diabetes, must be better managed in our health system so that our scarce dollars are maximized.

The AHA’s seven principles stress equality and efficiency. Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have supported legislation that furthers these aims. For example, I believe that we must reform the medical liability system so that neither patients nor physicians are victims. I do not support Association Health Plans. The principles of equality and efficiency are not met by such recent proposals for health care coverage that are inadequate and lack consumer protections.

Instead of limited and insufficient solutions, my efforts are focused on a meaningful health benefit system that is open to all. I believe that costs must be shared, but that we must assist individuals who cannot afford health insurance. I believe that our health facilities must provide high quality care in return for reasonable reimbursements. In short, I believe that we have significant challenges ahead of us. But, by re-shaping our health system so that it is based on the principles of equality and efficiency, we will dramatically improve the health of many and significantly reduce wasted resources.