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John Spratt believes that every American should have access to affordable medical care. He supports a number of health care initiatives in Congress.
Patients' Bill of Rights. For those with insurance but anxious about denial of coverage or loss of choice, John Spratt backs the “Patients' Bill of Rights.” John believes people should have access to medical information and care, including: choice of a health care professional; emergency care; timely access to specialists; obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics; care continuity; prescription drugs; participation in clinical trials; and breast cancer treatment hospital stays and consultations. John believes that insurance plans should be prohibited from interfering with the doctor-patient relationship and that people should have the right to appeal claims that have been denied.
Children's Health Insurance Program. For kids in working families without medical coverage, John Spratt helped create CHIP - the “Children's Health Insurance Program.” More than 40 million Americans live without medical insurance. Ten million are children whose parents work, but work for employers who do not offer coverage, or they work for themselves and can't afford insurance. CHIP comes to the states as grants, and is paid for in part through the cigarette tax. The law lets the states innovate, and with the money available, insure as many children as possible.
Tax Credits for Small Businesses. For small businesses unable to afford insurance for their employees, John supports tax credits to lower the cost.
Community Health Care Centers. For those with little or no coverage, John Spratt has helped to fund community medical care centers all over the 5 th District. John believes that in a time of tight budgets, community health centers are one of the best deals in healthcare. Through efficiency and necessity, they are able to provide quality care to the uninsured for roughly $1.50 per patient per day.
Breast Cancer Initiatives. John Spratt supports the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, to require insurance companies to cover a 48-hour minimum hospital stay for mastectomy patients, and a 24-hour stay for a patient undergoing lymph node dissection. He also voted to establish high national standards for mammography procedures and facilities.
Mental Health Coverage. John Spratt believes that treatment for mental health conditions should be placed on par with coverage for medical and surgical procedures, and he backs a bill to make that happen.
Medicare Payments to Physicians. Under the Medicare formula that sets physician payments, doctors will see a 4.6 percent cut to their Medicare payments in 2007. Unlike the House Republican budget, the budget proposed this year by John Spratt creates a reserve fund to increase Medicare payments to physicians, mirroring an amendment to the Senate budget resolution that passed unanimously.
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