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Sean Casten on Health Care
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Make the VA a leader in national health care reform
Make the VA a leader in national health care reform by filling the estimated 30,000 vacancies with qualified doctors and medical staff, employing improved technology, and continuing to reduce wait times at VA health facilities.
Update the medical record-keeping system to include modernization of the VA's and Department of Defense's IT healthcare systems as well as integrate the DOD and VA networks in order to ease the transfer of care.
Expand mental health services for veterans and servicemembers to meet the urgent mental health needs of our veterans. The risk of suicide among veterans is, alarmingly,
22 percent higher than the rate among civilians. This crisis calls for an immediate increase in coordination between the Department of Defense and the VA.
Source: 2018 IL-6 House campaign website CastenForCongress.com
, May 5, 2020
We need a base level of health care coverage
We need to add a taxpayer-funded, means-tested base level of health care coverage--means-tested to make sure that this base coverage is only available to those who don't have health coverage through their employers, unions, V.A. office,
Medicare, Medicaid, or personal wealth. We should also ensure that anyone who doesn't qualify for this taxpayer-funded plan has the option to buy into that plan.
We must allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, as the V.A. and for-profit health providers already do. We need to take a much more aggressive posture against the extension of patents and re-purposing of drugs
for new diseases that serves only to extend the profit margin of those drugs long after pharmaceutical companies have recouped their initial investment.
Source: 2018 IL-6 House campaign website CastenForCongress.com
, May 5, 2020
Lower drug prices
Casten discussed his legislation to lower drug prices. "[The bill] would limit the ability to raise the prices of drugs by no more than the rate of inflation every year,
and it would permanently cap the out-of-pocket expense that seniors [pay] today by a few thousand dollars for drugs," he said.
Source: Northwest Herald on 2020 House IL-6 race
, Feb 9, 2020
Fact-Check: Corrected drug claim about NIH funding
Casten said that "from 2000 to 2016, every major drug that was introduced came out of NIH funding." A 2018 study found NIH funding contributed to the science that underlies every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the FDA between 2010 and 2016--not
2000 to 2016, as Casten claimed. Following our inquiry, his office posted a correction on Facebook. Casten misstated the time period covered by the report, but his overall point tracks with its findings. So we rate his claim Half True.
Source: Chicago Sun Times Fact-Check on 2018-2019 House IL-6 race
, Dec 23, 2019
Casten opposes the CC survey question on healthcare mandate
The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Repealing the Nationalized Health Care System that Forces Citizens to Buy Insurance '
Christian Coalition's self-description: "Christian Voter Guide is a clearing-house for traditional, pro-family voter guides. We do not create voter guides, nor do we interview or endorse candidates."
Source: Christian Coalition Surve 18CC-5 on Jul 1, 2018
Casten opposes the PVS survey question on repealing ObamaCare
Project Vote Smart inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Health Care: Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?'
PVS self-description: "The Political Courage Test provides voters with positions on key issues. Historically, candidates have failed to complete our test due to the advice they receive from their advisors and out of fear of negative attack ads."
Source: PVS Survey 18PVS-5 on Aug 1, 2018
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2022