An Update on Health Care Reform‏ via Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

[and-justice-for-all]

An Update on Health Care Reform‏ via Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

I sent him my two cents on his abortion position.
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This summer, thousands of Hoosiers took the time to participate in a critical conversation about reforming our nation’s health care system: discussing their concerns, sharing their stories, and offering their own ideas for change. I have taken your ideas and feedback with me back to Washington, and I wanted to update you on some of the progress we’ve made toward resolving two frequent concerns I heard: addressing medical malpractice reform and preventing taxpayer dollars from funding abortion.

REFORMING MEDICAL MALPRACTICE SUITS
During his address to Congress earlier this month, President Obama acknowledged that reforming the rules governing medical malpractice suits might be one piece to bringing health care costs under control. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a new initiative that will help us determine the best way to reach this goal.

States are often the best laboratories for developing new and unique approaches to challenges like these, so this new initiative would provide state governments with federal grants to plan, implement and evaluate innovative medical malpractice reform programs. We’ve seen different reforms work in different states, and this initiative will help us determine which proposals are most effective at eliminating frivolous lawsuits and ensuring patients still receive timely, fair compensation for medical injuries. For instance, Indiana has implemented policies that seem to work for doctors and patients and could work for other states too. The initiative will help us discover which programs work best and can be expanded nationwide.

I believe this is a positive step forward, and I will continue advocating for medical malpractice reform as one step to bring down health care costs.

PREVENTING TAXPAYER DOLLARS FROM FUNDING ABORTION
As a pro-life Democrat, I am committed to protecting life at all stages and defending existing policies that prevent federal tax dollars from being used to fund abortion. In July, the Energy and Commerce Committee adopted several amendments that improve the bill in this area. They include: prohibiting the government from requiring private insurance plans to cover abortion, explicitly protecting state parental notification, informed consent, and Medicaid abortion prohibition laws, and including conscience clauses for health care providers.

While these are positive developments, I believe more must be done. So last week, I teamed up with Rep. Bobby Bright of Alabama to urge House Leadership to strengthen language prohibiting federal tax dollars from funding abortions through any new public health insurance option. In addition, we asked for a new provision to make clear that federal subsidies cannot be used to purchase coverage for abortions.

Read the Ellsworth-Bright Letter:
http://ellsworth.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?mailaction=clickthru&gpiv=2100046800.62518.348&gen=1&mailing_linkid=7773


My staff and I will continue to work with Leadership and like-minded members to prevent federal tax dollars from being used to pay for abortions and ensure Americans have access to pro-life insurance options in the health care reform bill.

To follow the debate on these and other issues, please visit the 8th District Online Office and click on Understanding Health Care Reform.

Sincerely,

Brad Ellsworth.

[thunder rising]

1. With Democrats like that who needs Republicans