Bill Pascrell, Representing the 8th Congressional District of New Jersey
Bill’s Views on
Healthcare
Bill believes that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. There are an estimated 47 million uninsured Americans. As these numbers rise in the face of swelling unemployment and a faltering economy, Bill is working hard to ensure that every American is afforded the highest quality health care possible. This year, as a member of the exclusive Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill is working on legislation to expand opportunities for health insurance coverage, lower costs by focusing on prevention and primary care, ensure an adequate health workforce ready to provide care of the highest quality, and improve and expand Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP.
As the growth in insurance premiums continually outpaces the growth in wages, Bill believes that we must work to make our health care system more efficient with a greater emphasis on preventing and managing costly chronic conditions. As one of Congress' first accomplishments of 2009, Bill joined with his colleagues to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provided essential funds for expanding the use of health information technology, prevention and wellness programs, and comparative effectiveness research to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different health care services and treatment options.
Additionally, Bill believes that as we move forward with comprehensive health reforms we must ensure that there is an adequate health workforce ready and available to provide quality, accessible care. In fact, Bill has emerged as a leader on health workforce issues, introducing H.R. 1946, the Health Workforce Investment Act of 2009, that takes key steps in providing the national leadership necessary to address existing and impending health workforce issues and providing our nation's teaching hospitals with the resources necessary to train our next generation of health care providers.
Furthermore, Bill has believed for years that ensuring health coverage for all of our nation's children is a critical first step in any health reform effort-in fact, it's the least we can do. Over the last several years, Bill has fought to strengthen the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and provide health care coverage for 11 million children. In a major victory for health reform, Bill joined President Obama on February 4, 2009, at the White House for the signing of this essential legislation.
Likewise, Bill will continue to work to improve traditional Medicare by increasing benefits for low-income seniors, adding new preventive services, reforming Medicare's payment methods, and reducing overpayments to private health insurance companies.
Bill believes that reliable health care for Americans is a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few and will continue to fight for this principle in the years ahead.
Related News
- Pascrell Recognizes Introduction of Landmark Legislation for National Health Care Reform Which Will Lower Costs and Increase Options For American Families
- July 14, 2009
- Pascrell, NJ Delegation Members, Send Letter to New Jersey Pharmaceutical Companies Thanking Them for Commitment to Heath Care Reform
- July 8, 2009
- Pascrell Announces $900K in Recovery Funding for Paterson Community Health Center
- June 29, 2009
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