Positions and Views of Mike McIntyre
on Medical Insurance
| Currently Elected US Congress District 7, North Carolina |
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| Medical Insurance |
Positions and Views |
| Health Insurance, 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) |
| Medicare |
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 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.
On December 8, 2003, the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2003 was signed into law. Although I was supportive of several of the bill's provisions, I was unable to support it because it fell far short of protecting our nation's senior citizens in the availability and affordability of prescription drugs. I am confident that we can provide a better benefit than the new law, which makes seniors pay $4000 f [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website (10/04/2008) |
| Medically Uninsured or Underinsured |
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. 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.
Source: Candidate Website (10/04/2008) |
| Medicaid |
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 financial assistance to local and state governments in order to support increases in Medicaid enrollment. In addition, this legislation would limit reductions in Medicaid coverage due to state budget shortfalls.
In February 2004, the President released his budget for fiscal year 2005, which included a cut in funding for Medicaid. In March, I voted against the U.S. House budget resolution because the bill included a provision to cut Medicaid by $2.2 billion. If we are to maintain the support to our states that Medicaid provides, we must ensure that the program is adequately funded. Fortunately, when the budget resolution came before the full U.S. House for final consideration on May 19, it did not include these cuts.
Source: Candidate Website (10/04/2008) |
| These are available issue topics for which there were no responses. |
| Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) |
| Medicare Vouchers |
| Universal Medical Care / Insurance |
| Fixing Medicare |
| Pre-Existing Health Conditions |
| Fixing Medical Insurance |
| Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Limitations |
| Employers' Medical Insurance |
| Employers vs Employees As Chief Health Care Buyer |
| Coverage of Children |
| State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) |
| Free Market Health Care |
| Health Insurance Purchase Choices |
| Portable Medical Insurance |
| State Plans |
| Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) |
| Market-Based Medical Insurance |
| Medical Insurance Block Grants |
| TRICARE Health Insurance |
| Medical Insurance Discrimination |
| Misuse of Health Records |
| Medicare Reimbursement Formulas |
| Uniform Billing and Claims |
| Paperless Claims |
| Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) Buy-In |
| Federal Reinsurance Medical Pool |
| Chronic & Catastrophic Illnesses |
| Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) |
| Medical Malpractice Reform |
| Business Tax Credits for Employee Health Coverage |
| Tax Credit / Deductible for Medical Insurance |