Healthcare eNews & Survey

Dear Friend,

As you are no doubt aware, the health care debate has reached a fever-pitch across the country. I've been hearing from a lot of you who share my concerns and commitment to taking action now, and I appreciate you communicating your thoughts with me.

Please take our health care survey by clicking here.

There have been several unproductive attempts to blur this conversation on TV and online, but I want you to know that I'm listening to you. That's my job. No matter what your opinion on how to fix the status quo, the facts of the underlying problem remain the same:

There are over 45 million Americans without health insurance. There are 25 million more who are underinsured. In our 5th district alone, 139,000 people don't have health insurance. That's 21% of our neighbors.

Health costs are skyrocketing at a rate 3-times faster than wages, and there's no end in sight. We need to take action, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to achieve a final bill that reflects the needs of the people of Illinois' 5th District.

I'm working toward health care reform that:

¢Provides a high-quality, low-cost public insurance option

¢Allows you to keep your coverage and doctor if you like them

¢Includes significant, long-term cost-cutting mechanisms

¢Eliminates co-pays for preventative care

¢Closes the Medicare drug doughnut hole to make prescriptions affordable for seniors.

¢Invests in primary care physicians and preventative care proven to lower costs

¢Protects a woman's right to be able to afford to choose

¢Puts the focus where it belongs " on quality of care, not quantity of care

¢Holds the insurance companies accountable and ensures they no longer:

oDiscriminate for pre-existing conditions or gender

oDrop your coverage because you get sick or become pregnant

oCap yearly or lifetime coverage

oCharge excessive out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles, or co-pays

oGet between decisions made between you and your doctor

oIncentivize their employees to reject claims

oDoes not tax employer-provided benefits

oContains provisions that are sensitive to small businesses, helping them to provide coverage to their workers.

What do you think? As your representative in Congress, I want to hear your thoughts on important issues like this.

Please share with me your opinions on healthcare by clicking here and taking a short survey.

Also, please don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter to continue to receive updates like this one, and please contact my office with any questions or for assistance.

We're here to serve and represent you, and I look forward to staying in touch.