Issue Position: Health Care
Issue Position
Issue Position: Health Care
Ensuring access to health care in South Dakota presents a unique challenge. Today, the cost of health care is probably the greatest fiscal challenge for families, businesses, and the government. I believe we are approaching the need for comprehensive, bi-partisan health care reform to improve competition in the private market, make health insurance more portable instead of tied to employment, and to allow greater choices for individuals and families. In addition, the following are examples of key components that will lower health care costs for all Americans: Prescription drugs I believe we need greater competition in the pharmaceutical industry to stem the rising cost of prescription drugs-one of the largest drivers of our health insurance costs. I will continue to fight to protect consumers' access to low-cost generic drugs, which play an important role in controlling health care spending. Also, I support changing the law to allow prescription drug importation-a policy that would permit all consumers, pharmacies, and wholesalers to purchase affordable pharmaceuticals safely from FDA-approved facilities overseas. Today, this common sense practice is permitted only for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Telehealth As a member of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, I support initiatives that will strengthen our rural health care infrastructure. One initiative I believe has significant potential to improve health care in rural states is telehealth. By using telecommunications and information technologies, telehealth has the ability to lower health care costs and provide quality health care services at a distance to patients in remote and underserved areas. I have fought to secure increased funding for telehealth grants that will promote the adoption of telehealth in rural states like South Dakota. I have also introduced legislation to promote the use of remote monitoring technology through home health care, which can reduce costs for both patients and providers by reducing the number of visits to the doctor. Small Business Health Plans I also hear from many small business owners in South Dakota who want to provide quality health care coverage for their employees, but often cannot afford the high cost of premiums. South Dakota has nearly 73,000 small businesses and a large portion of our state's uninsured population work for small businesses. We need common sense reforms to reduce health care costs for small businesses and the self-employed. I support creating Small Business Health Plans (SBHPs), which allow individuals and small businesses to band together to purchase more affordable health insurance for their employees. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, SBHPs would expand health care coverage to approximately 750,000 employees of small businesses who are currently uninsured. Medical malpractice reform Frivolous lawsuits contribute significantly to the high cost of health care in our nation. A January 2006 study concluded that medical liability and defensive medicine accounted for 10 percent of the increase in rising costs of health insurance premiums. In South Dakota, medical liability has resulted in regional shortages of primary care physicians and limited access to obstetricians and gynecologists. I support comprehensive medical liability reform that will lower the cost of health care for all South Dakota families.
Ensuring access to health care in South Dakota presents a unique challenge. Today, the cost of health care is probably the greatest fiscal challenge for families, businesses, and the government. I believe we are approaching the need for comprehensive, bi-partisan health care reform to improve competition in the private market, make health insurance more portable instead of tied to employment, and to allow greater choices for individuals and families. In addition, the following are examples of key components that will lower health care costs for all Americans:
Prescription drugs
I believe we need greater competition in the pharmaceutical industry to stem the rising cost of prescription drugs-one of the largest drivers of our health insurance costs. I will continue to fight to protect consumers' access to low-cost generic drugs, which play an important role in controlling health care spending. Also, I support changing the law to allow prescription drug importation-a policy that would permit all consumers, pharmacies, and wholesalers to purchase affordable pharmaceuticals safely from FDA-approved facilities overseas. Today, this common sense practice is permitted only for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Telehealth
As a member of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, I support initiatives that will strengthen our rural health care infrastructure. One initiative I believe has significant potential to improve health care in rural states is telehealth. By using telecommunications and information technologies, telehealth has the ability to lower health care costs and provide quality health care services at a distance to patients in remote and underserved areas. I have fought to secure increased funding for telehealth grants that will promote the adoption of telehealth in rural states like South Dakota. I have also introduced legislation to promote the use of remote monitoring technology through home health care, which can reduce costs for both patients and providers by reducing the number of visits to the doctor.
Small Business Health Plans
I also hear from many small business owners in South Dakota who want to provide quality health care coverage for their employees, but often cannot afford the high cost of premiums. South Dakota has nearly 73,000 small businesses and a large portion of our state's uninsured population work for small businesses.
We need common sense reforms to reduce health care costs for small businesses and the self-employed. I support creating Small Business Health Plans (SBHPs), which allow individuals and small businesses to band together to purchase more affordable health insurance for their employees. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, SBHPs would expand health care coverage to approximately 750,000 employees of small businesses who are currently uninsured.
Medical malpractice reform
Frivolous lawsuits contribute significantly to the high cost of health care in our nation. A January 2006 study concluded that medical liability and defensive medicine accounted for 10 percent of the increase in rising costs of health insurance premiums. In South Dakota, medical liability has resulted in regional shortages of primary care physicians and limited access to obstetricians and gynecologists. I support comprehensive medical liability reform that will lower the cost of health care for all South Dakota families.
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