Positions and Views of Mike McIntyre
on Health & Medical
| Currently Elected US Congress District 7, North Carolina |
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Mike McIntyre's positions and views on the issues:
Links are only provided where we have information. The first link is a
report of all issues and questions made available to the candidates.
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List of Issues | Biographical | Reasons & Objectives | Economy | Health & Medical | Medical Insurance | Environment | Transportation | Military & Defense | Veterans | Education | Prescription Drugs | Food & Agriculture
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| Health & Medical |
Positions and Views |
| Health & Medical Care, a General Statement |
As a member of the Steering Committee and former Co-Chairman of the Rural Health Care Coalition, I am concerned about the current state of our nation's health care system. Unfortunately, 41 million Americans are uninsured and in desperate need of adequate health care. Since I was elected to Congress in 1996, I have been working to provide relief to our hospitals and health systems, improve options for seniors, and increase the accessibility and affordability of health care. I am especially concerned about the unique needs of residents in rural areas who are often forced to drive great distances to receive care at a hospital or doctor's office. In order to provide these citizens with quality health care, we must make a strong federal investment to expand services in rural areas.
A slow economy has resulted in a number of financial challenges for our area's hospitals and health systems. Budget cuts at the state level threaten the stability of Medicare and Medicaid funding that many of our providers depend on for services. As our health care providers struggle to account for the shortfall in Medicare payments, they are often forced to reduce staff salaries, cut services, or limit investment in technology, equipment, and infrastructure. These sacrifices not only jeopardize quality care, but also limit the number of patients hospitals can afford to serve. With over 15% of North Carolina's population living without health insurance, we must ensure that our hospitals, health centers, home health agencies, and hospices, receive enough funding to meet the growing need for health services. In order to protect these important services, I will continue working to provide immediate financial relief to local and state governments to prevent reductions in Medicare and Medicaid assistance.
In fact, I have joined several of my colleagues in cosponsoring legislation that would increase funding to Medicaid. This measure, the State Budget Relief Act, would provide immediate fina [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website (10/04/2008) |
| Improving Health & Medical Care |
As a member of the Steering Committee and former Co-Chairman of the Rural Health Care Coalition, I am concerned about the current state of our nation's health care system. Unfortunately, 41 million Americans are uninsured and in desperate need of adequate health care. Since I was elected to Congress in 1996, I have been working to provide relief to our hospitals and health systems, improve options for seniors, and increase the accessibility and affordability of health care. I am especially concerned about the unique needs of residents in rural areas who are often forced to drive great distances to receive care at a hospital or doctor's office. In order to provide these citizens with quality health care, we must make a strong federal investment to expand services in rural areas.
A slow economy has resulted in a number of financial challenges for our area's hospitals and health systems. Budget cuts at the state level threaten the stability of Medicare and Medicaid funding that many of our providers depend on for services. As our health care providers struggle to account for the shortfall in Medicare payments, they are often forced to reduce staff salaries, cut services, or limit investment in technology, equipment, and infrastructure. These sacrifices not only jeopardize quality care, but also limit the number of patients hospitals can afford to serve. With over 15% of North Carolina's population living without health insurance, we must ensure that our hospitals, health centers, home health agencies, and hospices, receive enough funding to meet the growing need for health services. In order to protect these important services, I will continue working to provide immediate financial relief to local and state governments to prevent reductions in Medicare and Medicaid assistance.
In fact, I have joined several of my colleagues in cosponsoring legislation that would increase funding to Medicaid. This measure, the State Budget Relief Act, would provide immediate fina [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website (10/04/2008) |
| Reducing Health Care Costs |
In addition to increasing health care access for our residents, I am also committed to improving the quality of care for our senior citizens. As the cost of prescription drugs continues to rise, many seniors find they can no longer afford the medicine they need to live healthy lives. Our seniors deserve a sensible, balanced, and fair Medicare-prescription drug benefit that will help the individuals who need it most. No senior should have to make the choice between buying groceries and purchasing the monthly medicine needed to live a healthy life.
I am very pleased that the bill provides $25 billion in relief for rural providers starting in 2005. This is legislative relief that I have strongly supported. This would provide the necessary Medicare reimbursements for our doctors and hospitals and additional dollars for home health, skilled nursing facilities, community health centers and rural ambulance services. As the former Co-Chairman of the Rural Health Care Coalition, I worked tirelessly on these issues for the past several years, and I remain committed to providing additional resources and funding for our rural providers as a member of the Coalition's Executive Committee. These individuals are on the front lines of providing adequate health care to our low-income, rural areas, and they deserve this long-awaited benefit.
Source: Candidate Website (10/04/2008) |
| These are available issue topics for which there were no responses. |
| Rationing Health Care |
| Disease Prevention |
| Rural Health Care |
| Health Information Interchange Network |
| Quality and Cost Reporting |
| Biomedical Superiority |
| Patient's Bill of Rights |
| Medical Errors |
| Immunizations and Vaccinations |
| Health Opportunity Accounts |
| Alternative Medicine |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
| Medical Research |
| Physicians |
| Nurses |
| Public Health Workers |
| Association Health Plans (AHP) |
| Children's Health |
| Women's Health |
| Elderly's Health |
| Health Disparities |
| Exposure to Toxic Chemicals |
| HIV/AIDS |
| Cancer |
| Lead Poisoning |
| Mercury Pollution |
| Obesity |
| Diabetes |
| Mental Health |
| Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) |
| Drug Addiction |
| Mad Cow |
| West Nile Virus |
| Autism |
| Asthma |
| Alzheimer's Disease |
| Substance Abuse |
| Resistance to Antibiotics |