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Improving Access to Affordable Health Care PDF Print E-mail


Since arriving in Congress, Shelley Berkley has made access to quality health care a signature issue. As the representative of the fastest growing seniors’ population in the country, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and including prescription drugs under Medicare are top priorities for Shelley. Additionally, Congresswoman Berkley has been at the forefront of the fight to protect the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship -- an issue that has become a foremost concern at a time when health insurers are increasingly seeking to influence medical decisions and treatment options.

Shelley Berkley is a leading proponent of improving women's health care, expanding health care access for children, providing long term care options to families with elderly relatives, and preserving medical privacy.

In addition to being a member of the Healthcare and Medicare Task Force, Shelley Berkley is a member of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, the Older Americans Caucus (co-chair), the Parkinson's Disease Working Group, the Congressional Autism Caucus, the Congressional Diabetes Caucus and Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus.

Congresswoman Berkley is committed to:

Expanding Health Care Coverage for All Southern Nevadans

+ Congresswoman Berkley cosponsored the Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act to prohibit discriminating against individuals on the basis of genetic information.

+ As a leader in promoting women’s health care, Congresswoman Berkley cosponsored the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which prohibits so-called "drive-through mastectomies." The legislation would require that group and individual health insurance provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies and lymph node dissections performed for the treatment of breast cancer.

+ Shelley supports legislation that allows self-employed individuals to deduct health insurance costs when computing self-employment taxes. In addition, she cosponsored legislation that permits a tax credit for health insurance coverage provided to employees by small business employers.

+ She voted for the Health Savings and Affordability Act which creates a deduction for amounts contributed to health savings security accounts and health savings accounts.

+ Congresswoman Berkley supports legislation which would guarantee health care coverage for all children.

Funding Vital Medical Research

+ Congresswoman Berkley strongly supports efforts to double the funds to the National Institutes of Health for research into disease prevention, treatment and cures.

+ Shelley signed onto legislation which authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers regarding environmental factors that may be related to breast cancer.

+ Diabetes disproportionately affects minority populations. For this reason, Shelley cosponsored legislation to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to expand, intensify, conduct, coordinate, and support research and other activities with respect to pre-diabetes and diabetes, particularly Type 2, in minority populations.

+ Shelley strongly supports expanding embryonic stem cell research. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to be used to treat and better understand deadly and disabling diseases that affect more than 100 million Americans.

+ Congresswoman Berkley has consistently fought for increased funding for domestic and international HIV/AIDS research, prevention, care and treatment.

Promoting Preventative Health Care

+ Congresswoman Berkley has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and she knows first hand that early detection is key to halting the debilitating bone disease. She has sponsored the Osteoporosis Education and Prevention Act which creates a national campaign to increase bone-health awareness as well as creates an osteoporosis prevention demonstration program to determine the best practices for providing information and outreach services relating to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis.

+ Shelley supports legislation which would increase reimbursements for colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests, covers outpatient office visits or consultations for the purpose of beneficiary education before a colorectal cancer screening test, and waives the deductible for colorectal cancer screening.

+ Shelley cosponsored legislation which requires group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans to provide coverage of screening for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

Ensuring Access to Qualified Health Care Providers

+ Shelley supports the Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act which establishes a ten-year student loan forgiveness program for nurses in order to encourage young people to enter and continue in the nursing profession.

Congresswoman Berkley offered a motion that reversed the proposed cut to Medicare payments to physicians. This provision was passed into law.
 
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