Healthcare
If all Americans have a right to a lawyer, can’t we also ensure them the right to see a doctor? It is a tragedy that the richest country in the world has such a large population without health insurance. In earlier decades, Americans saw the need to provide health care to those who needed it most, and created Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP to deliver vital, life-sustaining services to senior citizens, children, and the poor. Today, too many families slip through the cracks. They can only pray that their children do not get sick, because their employers do not provide adequate coverage, and they do not qualify for public assistance. We have the best doctors and medical technology in the world, but the insurance system has locked American families out of the hospitals.
We need to move away from employment-based health insurance. With the economic turmoil caused by American jobs being shipped overseas, more Americans are finding themselves unemployed or underemployed. They have had to sacrifice good jobs for lower paying jobs with no insurance benefits. The loss of a job can be devastating to a family. Those with medical conditions have to figure out how to pay for treatments and medication without income. A universal health care system would allow all Americans, regardless of employment status, to access the best doctors in the world. With the cost of health insurance rising, it is no surprise that many businesses support universal health care. Not only will it fill the gaps in coverage, it will reduce the costs to businesses and enable them to be more competitive.
When we talk about health care, we often forget to talk about mental health. Any reform of the health care system should include coverage for mental health services. We need programs to provide for mentally impaired citizens. We have friends and neighbors who suffer from illnesses ranging from mild disorders to life-altering disabilities. There is still a stigma about people who visit a doctor to treat mental health issues. We don’t think any differently of a friend that visits a doctor to mend a broken bone, do we? Oklahomans who need treatment for mental health issues should receive the same care and respect as anybody else.
My father served his country in Vietnam, and he returned with medical problems caused by Agent Orange. The government never revealed the source of his pain and suffering. He never received the medical care he needed. Today, thousands of veterans are returning home from Iraq with serious injuries, both physical and mental, that will require long-term treatment. They have been neglected by our government, denied the benefits they have earned, and given inadequate service by the bureaucracy. I don’t want to see another generation of America’s warriors suffer lifelong conditions that could be treated or managed if they have access to basic medical care. It is our patriotic duty as citizens, and as daughters and sons of servicemen, to take care of our veterans.
Treatment for Chemical dependence is woefully lacking. At one time, treatment centers for adults and adolescents were abundant, but that all ended when the insurance companies stopped paying for it. Addiction is a disease, and it requires treatment. Without adequate care facilities, people with chemical dependencies will continue to be a burden on our law enforcement and corrections agencies. I will support the expansion of chemical dependence treatment programs, so taxpayers don’t have to pick up the tab for medical and prison expenses that could have been avoided.
We all know the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The same wisdom applies to health care. Preventative treatment can reduce and sometimes eliminate diseases that are much more expensive to treat in later stages. Insurance companies sometimes pay for preventative health care, but we can do better. With well check-ups, screenings, exercise and nutrition, we can prevent diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and we can identify and address some kinds of cancer. It saves money. Preventative services do not have to be administered through a doctor, and they can reduce the need for catastrophic care later.
Reproductive rights are essential to women’s health. The choices that a woman makes concerning her own body can affect the rest of her life. I believe that those tough choices should be made by the women who must live with the consequences, not by the government. At the same time, we should be working to reduce the need for women to make such hard choices by providing them resources for medical care, contraception, and impartial information about human sexuality.
In Oklahoma City I will use my position to help form policies that improve health care in our state. Oklahomans have a sense of responsibility to family, faith, and country. In return for their service, the least we can do is give them access to a doctor.