Mark Warner on Health Care Democratic Jr Senator; previously Governor

Ebola: screen passengers on flights from West Africa

Warner and Gillespie found common ground in their criticism of the Obama administration's handling of the Ebola outbreak. Warner said the administration should have moved more quickly in setting up Ebola screenings at major U.S. airports, while Gillespie said the U.S. should have already imposed a flight ban on planes coming from West Africa.

AdWatch: Targeted by RNC robocalls for support of ObamaCare

The targets besides Mark Warner are Reps. Gary Peters (MI) and Bruce Braley (IA), Mark Begich (AK), Dick Durbin (IL), Kay Hagan (NC), Mary Landrieu (LA), Jeff Merkley (OR), Mark Pryor (AR), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Mark Udall (CO). The robocall script reads:

"President Obama and the Democrats said you could keep your healthcare plan under ObamaCare. Now we know [SENATOR] actually VOTED to make it more difficult. Call [SENATOR] at (XXX)-XXX-XXX & ask why [he/she] lied."

The robocalls are a response to Democrats launching the "GOP Shutdown Watch" campaign, highlighting Republican senate candidates who supported the partial federal government shutdown.

Proposed 50-governor 7-principle Medicaid reform

Mark Warner, then governor of Virginia, and I first made the trek to Capitol Hill to embark on what we thought would be a relatively easy sell. Here were two governors--one from either party--representing a plan proposed and signed by all the governors, a plan that would save federal money & give the citizens in these states greater coverage and the program greater flexibility. Mark and I were both somewhat taken aback by the harsh tone of the questions we received, and the angry spirit in which members spoke to us and to one another

Cannot allow 47 million Americans to go without access

Warner: We need to fix our nation's health care system. It's both a moral issue and a competitiveness issue--we simply cannot allow 47 million Americans to go without access to health care while those who are fortunate enough to have insurance pay twice as much per person as our competitors around the world. By focusing on preventative care and cutting costs through proven measures like switching to electronic medical records, we can expand coverage and increase quality of care. I do not support a government run, single payer system.

Gilmore: I support a broad range of health care reform including tax reform to help people buy health insurance and maintain health savings accounts. I believe we also need medical liability reforms to reduce frivolous lawsuits and help bring down health care costs.

As governor, 138,000 more children covered by insurance

Get every eligible child health care

Answer seniors' questions with "Senior Navigator"

"Senior Navigator" will help senior citizens. Senior Navigator is an interactive health-care information web site for seniors on the Internet. But it also creates a network of community-based volunteers who will help seniors navigate the health-care maze.

Supports Virginia Health Care Foundation for under-served

Merge Alzheimers diagnosis and care benefit.

Congressional Summary:The purpose of this Act is to increase diagnosis of Alzheimer`s disease and related dementias, leading to better care and outcomes for Americans living with Alzheimer`s disease and related dementias. Congress makes the following findings:

1. As many as half of the estimated 5.2 million Americans with Alzheimer`s disease have never received a diagnosis.
2. An early and documented diagnosis and access to care planning services leads to better outcomes for individuals with Alzheimer`s disease.
3. Combining the existing Medicare benefits of a diagnostic evaluation and care planning into a single package of services would help ensure that individuals receive an appropriate diagnosis as well as critical information about the disease and available care options.

Proponent`s argument for bill: (The Alzheimer`s Association, alz.org). The `Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer`s Act` (S.709/H.R. 1507) is one of the Alzheimer`s Association`s top federal priorities for the 113th Congress. The HOPE for Alzheimer`s Act would improve diagnosis of Alzheimer`s disease: As many as half of individuals who meet the specific diagnostic criteria for dementia have never received a diagnosis. An early and documented diagnosis, when coupled with access to care planning services leads to better outcomes for individuals with Alzheimer’s as well as their caregivers. Furthermore, documentation in the individual’s medical record is critical for care coordination and is necessary for health care providers to address complications in the management of other chronic conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Religious exemption from ObamaCare individual mandate.

Congressional Summary: To provide an additional religious exemption from the individual health coverage mandate. This Act may be cited as the `Equitable Access to Care and Health Act` or the `EACH Act`. The `Religious Conscience Exemption` exempts individuals who are members of a recognized religious sect which relies solely on a religious method of healing, and for whom the acceptance of medical health services would be inconsistent with their religious beliefs.

Supporters reasons for voting YEA: (TheHill.com weblog, April 29, 2013): `We believe the EACH Act balances a respect for religious diversity against the need to prevent fraud and abuse,` wrote Reps. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and William Keating (D-MA). `It is imperative we expand the religious conscience exemption now as the Administration is verifying the various exemptions to the individual mandate,` they wrote. Religious exemption from ObamaCare has come up before, including contraception. The EACH Act, however, deals only with exemptions from the insurance mandate.

Opponents reasons for voting NAY: (CHILD, Inc. `Children`s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty`, Dec. 2014): The Christian Science church is pushing hard to get another religious exemption through Congress. The EACH Act exempts everyone with `sincerely held religious beliefs` from the mandate to buy health insurance. We are particularly concerned about uninsured children: hundreds of American children have died because of their family`s religious objections to medical care. The EACH Act increases the risk to children in faith-healing sects and the cost to the state if the children do get medical care. Some complain that their church members should not have to pay for health care that they won`t use. But insurance works on the assumption that many in the pool of policyholders will not draw from it. Most people with fire insurance don`t have their homes burn, for example.