Issue Position: A Healthcare System that Works

Issue Position

Issue Position: A Healthcare System that Works

As a doctor, David has seen firsthand the anxiety and hardship that uninsured families face everyday as they try to choose between caring for their loved ones and paying medical bills they cannot afford.

It is simply unacceptable for the United States to let millions of Americans go without health care insurance - especially when there are steps we can take right now to increase the access to health care. David will fight for the expansion of the successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that President Bush recently vetoed and explore ways to enroll uninsured families in a program that copies the success of what Medicare has done for seniors.

We also need to reform the way we deliver health care so that our health care bills are affordable. With a greater emphasis on preventive care and the elimination of unnecessary care, we can get the most out of our health care dollars.

As a state representative, David championed health care reform. His 2007 legislation makes health care insurance more affordable for employees who do not receive health care coverage at work. Employees will save 25-40% off the cost of their premiums because of federal tax incentives, at no cost to their employers.

David also developed a provision to make our Medicaid system work more efficiently so more people can be included in the program without increasing spending. After studying reforms elsewhere, he created a pilot program to implement the best models for higher quality, lower cost care. For more information on this proposal, see David's presentation to the Indiana legislature's Medicaid Oversight Committee.

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