Bob Casey on Health Care Democratic Sr Senator (PA)

Cap insulin at $35; negotiate drug costs for Medicare

Health Care: Increase or decrease government support?
• Bob Casey (D): Increase. The effort to repeal ObamaCare is "a venomous snake that will bite a lot of Americans." Introduced a bill to lower prescription drug costs for low-income Medicare enrollees. Sponsored a bill capping insulin price at $35. Voted for government to negotiate Medicare drug costs.
• David McCormick (R): Mostly decrease. Has discussed potentially cutting "entitlements."

Defend ObamaCare instead of single-payer

But while Sanders and progressive Democrats clamor for a more aggressive approach, some Senate Democrats expressed skepticism about the need to go that far, that quickly. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) was openly critical, arguing "it's important that we keep options open for people who rely on health care." Most preferred to duck the question altogether, and concentrate on defending Americans who are covered under ObamaCare, as Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) put it.

Shift $700B from Medicare to ObamaCare, but no senior funds

Smith's suggestion that Casey voted to cut Medicare is a reference to provisions in President Barack Obama's health care law that phase in reductions in reimbursements to hospitals, insurance companies and other service providers but aren't cuts that hit seniors directly. Ryan's Medicare plan would keep the cuts, while Romney would undo them.

Medicare Part D program is fundamentally flawed

A: The Part D legislation currently prohibits Medicare officials from negotiating lower bulk prices with drug companies. It also continues to block the re-importation of safe, FDA-approved prescription drugs at lower prices from Canada. At the same time, the legislation lavishes extravagant taxpayer-financed incentives on the HMOs. The Medicare Part D program is fundamentally flawed and is in clear need of a complete overhaul. It provides too much benefit to the HMOs while the law’s “donut holes” in coverage require many seniors to pay for all drug costs out of their own pockets.

Fill the “doughnut hole” of missing Medicare Rx costs

Fight to Expand Health Care Coverage

Opposes Cloning of Human Embryos for Experimentation

Use tobacco settlement for healthcare for unemployed

Supports suing HMOs, but opposes damage caps

A: Yes.

Q: Doctors are caught between lower reimbursements and soaring premiums. Isn’t tort reform a good idea?

A: I’m not a supporter of damage caps, and I’m not a supporter of playing games with liability provisions because I don’t think they lead to this wonderful malpractice reform that some think is out there. And more importantly, they adversely impact workers. I don’t think that the cost of lawsuits and damages and big verdicts has anything to do with the medical-malpractice challenge the state faces. The insurance companies, the ones who have caused most of the problems, were left out and really not held accountable. It was like a huge elephant in the room and they weren’t taken on. What you need is a governor who appoints an insurance commissioner who’s going to be very tough in the oversight of the insurance companies.

Establish a national childhood cancer database.

Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 - A bill to advance medical research and treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients and families have access to the current treatments and information regarding pediatric cancers, establish a population-based national childhood cancer database, and promote public awareness of pediatric cancers.

Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to childhood cancer professional and direct service organizations for the expansion and widespread implementation of:
1. activities that provide information on treatment protocols to ensure early access to the best available therapies and clinical trials for pediatric cancers;
2. activities that provide available information on the late effects of pediatric cancer treatment to ensure access to necessary long-term medical and psychological care; and
3. direct resource services such as educational outreach for parents, information on school reentry and postsecondary education, and resource directories or referral services for financial assistance, psychological counseling, and other support services.

Increase funding for occupational & physical therapy.

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.

Opposes repealing ObamaCare.

Christian Coalition publishes a number of special voter educational materials including the Christian Coalition Voter Guides, which provide voters with critical information about where candidates stand on important faith and family issues. The Christian Coalition Voters Guide summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Repealing "Obamacare" that forces citizens to buy insurance or pay a tax"

Preserve access to Medicaid & SCHIP during economic downturn.

A bill to preserve access to Medicaid and the State Children`s Health Insurance Program during an economic downturn.

• Economic Recovery in Health Care Act of 2008 - Prohibits finalizing, implementing, enforcing, or otherwise taking any action, prior to April 1, 2009, on any changes to Medicaid programs or State Children`s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
• Amends the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans` Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007 to extend through April 1, 2009, the moratorium relating to the cost limit for providers.
• Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 to extend through April 1, 2009, the moratorium relating to rehabilitation services, school-based administration, and school-based transportation.
• Provides for state fiscal relief through a temporary increase of Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP).

Expand the National Health Service Corps.

A bill to achieve access to comprehensive primary health care services for all Americans and to reform the organization of primary care delivery through an expansion of the Community Health Center and National Health Service Corps programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to:
1. increase and extend the authorization of appropriations for community health centers and for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment program for FY2010-FY2015, and provide for increased funding for such programs in FY2016 and each subsequent fiscal year; and
2. revise and expand provisions allowing a community health center to provide services at different locations, adjust its operating plan and budget, enter into arrangements with other centers to purchase supplies and services at reduced cost, and correct material failures in grant compliance.