Because the American People Deserve the Best Care

I believe that all citizens should have access to first-rate and reasonable health care. I am concerned with the amount of Americans putting off necessary medical care because they cannot afford it. It is very concerning that Americans are not able to catch expensive and harmful diseases early because of cost.

As a member of the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, I worked on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care reform bill. Specifically for New Jersey I helped achieve improved consumer protections for 5.3 million residents with private insurance coverage, free preventative care for 1.3 million Medicare enrollees, and tax credits for 144,000 small businesses to help cover the costs of offering health care coverage. In the 8th Congressional District, the bill will prevent over 900 families from filing bankruptcy because of medical bills extend coverage to 71,000 uninsured residents, and allow 47,000 college students the option of staying on their parents’ coverage. I believe this bill will create stability in the health care system and relieve tensions caused by health care costs.

I introduced H.R. 1946, the Health Workforce Investment Act of 2009, in order to address the increasing shortage of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. This bill became part of health care reform, and ensures a national work force strategy is developed to address shortages in health care professionals. I also fought to pass the re-authorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which helped achieve coverage for 11 million children.

I am committed to providing the necessary funds to update our out-dated systems, for prevention and wellness programs, and for research to discover effective ways to improve our health care system. I voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provides the needed funding for these critical investments.

I believe that we must work together to make our health care system more efficient and affordable. We need to make our health care system about quality of care. I believe that in the end our health is our responsibility and I am working hard to make sure health care is a right, not a privilege.

 (Creative Commons [1] image by dmason [2])