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Chellie Pingree on Health Care Democratic Representative (ME-1)

Allow states to negotiate lower drug prices

Fight drug companies to make generic drugs available

Patient’s Rights to protect privacy

Voted NO on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts.

[Sen. DeMint, R-SC]: The Democrats have Medicare on a course of bankruptcy. Republicans are trying to save Medicare & make sure there are options for seniors in the future. Medicare will not be there 5 or 10 years from now. Doctors will not see Medicare patients at the rate [Congress will] pay.

[Sen. Ayotte, R-NH]: We have 3 choices when it comes to addressing rising health care costs in Medicare. We can do nothing & watch the program go bankrupt in 2024. We can go forward with the President's proposal to ration care through an unelected board of 15 bureaucrats. Or we can show real leadership & strengthen the program to make it solvent for current beneficiaries, and allow future beneficiaries to make choices.

Opponent's Arguments for voting No:

[Sen. Conrad, D-ND]: In the House Republican budget plan, the first thing they do is cut $4 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years. For the wealthiest among us, they give them an additional $1 trillion in tax reductions. To offset these massive new tax cuts, they have decided to shred the social safety net. They have decided to shred Medicare. They have decided to shred program after program so they can give more tax cuts to those who are the wealthiest among us.

[Sen. Merkley, D-TK]: The Republicans chose to end Medicare as we know it. The Republican plan reopens the doughnut hole. That is the hole into which seniors fall when, after they have some assistance with the first drugs they need, they get no assistance until they reach a catastrophic level. It is in that hole that seniors have had their finances devastated. We fixed it. Republicans want to unfix it and throw seniors back into the abyss. Then, instead of guaranteeing Medicare coverage for a fixed set of benefits for every senior--as Medicare does now--the Republican plan gives seniors a coupon and says: Good luck. Go buy your insurance. If the insurance goes up, too bad.

Voted NO on repealing the "Prevention and Public Health" slush fund.

Proponent's Argument for voting Yes:
[Rep. Pitts, R-PA]: Section 4002 of PPACA establishes a Prevention and Public Health Fund, which my bill, H.R. 1217, would repeal. The PPACA section authorizes the appropriation of and appropriates to the fund from the Treasury the following amounts:

• $500 million for FY 2010
• $750 million for FY11
• $1 billion for FY12
• $1.25 billion for FY13
• $1.5 billion for FY14
• and for FY15 and every fiscal year thereafter, $2 billion.

Opponent's Argument for voting No:
[Rep. Waxman, D-CA]: This bill represents the Republicans' newest line of attack to disrupt, dismantle, and to ultimately destroy the Affordable Care Act. For many years, Republicans have joined with Democrats in supporting programs to prevent disease, to promote health and, in turn, to cut health care costs. But today, the House will vote to end funding for the first and only Federal program with dedicated, ongoing resources designed to make us a healthier Nation.

Voted YES on regulating tobacco as a drug.

Opponent's argument to vote No:Rep. HEATH SHULER (D, NC-11): Putting a dangerous, overworked FDA in charge of tobacco is a threat to public safety. Last year, the FDA commissioner testified that he had serious concerns that this bill could undermine the public health role of the FDA. And the FDA Science Board said the FDA's inability to keep up with scientific advancements means that Americans' lives will be at risk.

Proponent's argument to vote Yes: Rep. HENRY WAXMAN (D, CA-30): The bill before us, the Waxman-Platts bill, has been carefully crafted over more than a decade, in close consultation with the public health community. It's been endorsed by over 1,000 different public health, scientific, medical, faith, and community organizations.

Sen. HARRY REID (D, NV): Yesterday, 3,500 children who had never smoked before tried their first cigarette. For some, it will also be their last cigarette but certainly not all. If you think 3,500 is a scary number, how about 3.5 million. That is a pretty scary number. That is how many American high school kids smoke--3.5 million. Nearly all of them aren't old enough to buy cigarettes. It means we have as many boys and girls smoking as are participating in athletics in high schools. We have as many as are playing football, basketball, track and field, and baseball combined.

Voted YES on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program.

• Reauthorizes State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through FY2013 at increased levels.
• Gives states the option to cover targeted low-income pregnant women
• Phases out coverage for nonpregnant childless adults.

Rep. FRANK PALLONE (D, NJ-6): In the last Congress, we passed legislation that enjoyed bipartisan support as well as the support of the American people. Unfortunately, it did not enjoy the support of the President, who vetoed our bill twice, and went on to proclaim that uninsured children can simply go to the emergency room to have their medical needs met. As the Nation moves deeper into a recession and unemployment rates continue to rise, millions of Americans are joining the ranks of the uninsured, many of whom are children. We can't delay. We must enact this legislation now.

Opponent's argument to vote No:Rep. ROY BLUNT (R, MI-7): This bill doesn't require the States to meet any kind of threshold standard that would ensure that States were doing everything they could to find kids who needed insurance before they begin to spend money to find kids who may not have the same need. Under the bill several thousands of American families would be poor enough to qualify for SCHIP and have the government pay for their health care, but they'd be rich enough to still be required to pay the alternative minimum tax. The bill changes welfare participation laws by eliminating the 5-year waiting period for legal immigrants to lawfully reside in the country before they can participate in this program. In the final bill, we assume that 65% of the children receiving the benefit wouldn't get the benefit anymore. It seems to me this bill needs more work, would have benefited from a committee hearing. It doesn't prioritize poor kids to ensure that they get health care first.

Require insurers to cover breast cancer treatment.

Congressional Summary: Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require coverage and radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment.

• Prohibits restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or
• Prohibits requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan for prescribing any such length of stay.

Congressional Findings:

1. According to the American Cancer Society, excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women.
2. An estimated 40,480 women and 450 men died from breast cancer in 2008, and an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in women, plus 1,990 cases in men.
3. Most breast cancer patients undergo some type of surgical treatment.
4. Treatment for breast cancer varies according to type of insurance coverage and State of residence.
5. Currently, 20 States mandate minimum inpatient coverage after a patient undergoes a mastectomy.
6. Breast cancer patients have reported adverse outcomes, including infection and inadequately controlled pain, resulting from premature hospital discharge following breast cancer surgery. Source: H.R.111 11-HR111 on Jan 5, 2011

   Increase funding for occupational & physical therapy.

   Pingree signed Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (MARS)

   Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on outpatient physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services of the type furnished by a physician or as an incident to physicians' services.

   SEC. 2. OUTPATIENT THERAPY CAP REPEAL.

   Section 1833 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395(l)) is amended by striking subsection (g).

   [Explanatory note from Wikipedia.com "Therapy Cap"]:

   In 1997 Congress established per-person Medicare spending limits, or "therapy cap" for nonhospital outpatient therapy, but responding to concerns that some people with Medicare need extensive services, it has since placed temporary moratoriums on the caps. The therapy cap is a combined $1,810 Medicare cap for physical therapy and speech language pathology, and a separate $1,810 cap for occupational therapy ($1870 for 2011). Medicare patients requiring rehabilitation from disabilities, car accidents, hip injuries, stroke, and other ailments would be limited to roughly two months worth of treatments at an outpatient therapy clinic. Any patients that exceed the cap, whether they are healed or not, would have to stop therapy, or pay for the therapy services out of their own pocket.Several medical associations have lobbied against therapy caps because the bill inadvertently restricted disabled seniors, stroke patients, and other severe cases from receiving therapy treatments.

   Source: HR.1546&S829 11-HR1546 on Apr 14, 2011

   Establish a public insurance option via healthcare Exchanges.

   Pingree co-sponsored Public Option Deficit Reduction Act

   Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA, known as ObamaCare] to require Exchanges to offer a public health insurance option that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that the primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care. Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan:

   1. may be made available only through Exchanges;
   2. must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through such Exchanges; and
   3. must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels.
   Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to:
   1. establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option;
   2. collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates;
   3. establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan; and
   4. establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years.
   Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option. Source: H.R.191 11-HR191 on Jan 5, 2011

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   2012 Governor, House and Senate candidates on Health Care:			Chellie Pingree on other issues:
   ME Gubernatorial: Paul LePage ME Senatorial: Charlie Summers Cynthia Dill Olympia Snowe Lame-duck session 2012: KY-4: Thomas Massie(R) MI-11:Dave Curson(D) NJ-9: Donald Payne Jr.(D) WA-1: Suzan DelBene(D) Re-seated Former Reps: AZ-1: Ann Kirkpatrick(D) AZ-5: Matt Salmon(R) FL-8: Alan Grayson(D) IL-11:Bill Foster(D) NH-1: Carol Shea-Porter(D) NV-3: Dina Titus(D) NY-24:Dan Maffei(D) TX-36:Steve Stockman(R) 2013 Resignations and Replacements: IL-2:Jesse Louis Jackson(D,resigned) IL-2:Robin Kelly(D,running) MA-5:Ed Markey(D,running) MA-8:Stephen Lynch(D,running) MO-8:Jo Ann Emerson(R,resigned) SC-1:Tim Scott(R,resigned) SC-1:Mark Sanford(R,running)	Newly-elected Democrats: AZ-9: Kyrsten Sinema CA-2: Jared Huffman CA-7: Ami Bera CA-15:Eric Swalwell CA-24:Julia Brownley CA-29:Tony Cardenas CA-35:Gloria Negrete McLeod CA-36:Raul Ruiz CA-41:Mark Takano CA-47:Alan Lowenthal CA-51:Juan Vargas CA-52:Scott Peters CT-5: Elizabeth Esty FL-18:Patrick Murphy FL-22:Lois Frankel FL-26:Joe Garcia HI-2: Tulsi Gabbard IL-8: Tammy Duckworth IL-10:Brad Schneider IL-12:Bill Enyart IL-17:Cheri Bustos MD-6: John Delaney MA-4: Joe Kennedy III MI-5: Dan Kildee MN-8: Rick Nolan NV-4: Steven Horsford NH-2: Annie Kuster NM-1: Michelle Lujan-Grisham NY-5: Grace Meng NY-10:Hakeem Jeffries NY-18:Sean Maloney OH-10:Joyce Beatty PA-17:Matt Cartwright TX-16:Beto O`Rourke TX-20:Joaquin Castro TX-23:Pete Gallego TX-33:Marc Veasey TX-34:Filemon Vela WA-6: Derek Kilmer WA-10:Denny Heck WI-2: Mark Pocan	Newly-elected Republicans: AR-4: Tom Cotton CA-1: Doug LaMalfa CA-21:David Valadao CA-41:Paul Cook FL-3: Ted Yoho FL-6: Ron DeSantis FL-19:Trey Radel GA-9: Doug Collins IL-15:Rodney Davis IN-2: Jackie Walorski IN-5: Susan Brooks IN-6: Luke Messer KY-6: Andy Barr MI-11:Kerry Bentivolio MO-2: Ann Wagner MT-0: Steve Daines NY-26:Chris Collins NC-8: Richard Hudson NC-9: Robert Pittenger NC-11:Mark Meadows NC-13:George Holding ND-0: Kevin Cramer OH-2: Brad Wenstrup OH-14:Dave Joyce OK-1: Jim Bridenstine OK-2: Markwayne Mullin PA-4: Scott Perry PA-12:Keith Rothfus SC-7: Tom Rice TX-14:Randy Weber TX-25:Roger Williams UT-2: Chris Stewart	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty Main Page Profile ME politicians Contact info: Mailing Address: Longworth HOB 1037, Washington, DC 20515 Official Website

   
   Page last updated: Apr 07, 2013