BIOGRAPHY
The candidate's response will be posted as soon as it is received.
National Health Reform Implementation: In addition to expanding coverage through Medicaid, national health reform is expected to provide more than 17 million people with subsidies to purchase coverage through Exchanges. However, some people might still not be able to afford insurance. What measures, if any, would you support to help make health insurance affordable for families?
Childhood Obesity: More than one in six U.S children are obese, a rate that has tripled in the past 30 years. Childhood obesity is linked to a number of debilitating and expensive diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, several kinds of cancer, and other chronic conditions. What can be done, if anything, to help families and communities address this issue?
Children’s Budget: Representative Danny Davis and Senator Menendez have introduced the Children’s Budget Act (H.R. 3772/S. 3108), legislation that would require federal spending on children’s programs to be separately displayed and analyzed in the President’s budget, illustrating how the federal government allocates resources for children. What importance, if any, do you place on creating a Children’s Budget and why?
Dental: Tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting nearly 6 in 10 American children. Yet many children and families, particularly those served by Medicaid and CHIP, are unable to access appropriate oral health care. What measures, if any, should be taken to make dental care more accessible?
Medicaid: Medicaid provides health coverage to over 42 million individuals—many of whom are children. Millions more will qualify for the program in 2014 as a result of the new health reform law. What role do you see Medicaid playing in a reformed U.S. health system and what importance, if any, do you place on the continuation and growth of this program?
Early Education: Research shows that attendance at a preschool is a critical factor in improving children’s readiness to enter kindergarten and promoting their long-term development and success. What, if anything, can or should be done to help states offer more high quality early education opportunities for children?
Poverty: Over 18% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level. What, if anything, would you do to reduce poverty among children?
BIOGRAPHY
National Health Reform Implementation: In addition to expanding coverage through Medicaid, national health reform is expected to provide more than 17 million people with subsidies to purchase coverage through Exchanges. However, some people might still not be able to afford insurance. What measures, if any, would you support to help make health insurance affordable for families?
As a member of the Energy and Commerce committee I was proud to work on health reform legislation because I view health care as a right, not a privilege. Providing consumers with greater choice, injecting competition into the market and making health coverage affordable are the key principles in the law. I will continue to support these principles to make sure that all Connecticut residents have affordable health care options.
Childhood Obesity: More than one in six U.S children are obese, a rate that has tripled in the past 30 years. Childhood obesity is linked to a number of debilitating and expensive diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, several kinds of cancer, and other chronic conditions. What can be done, if anything, to help families and communities address this issue?
Today, nearly one-third of American children and adolescents are overweight and more than half of those children are considered obese. I was pleased when earlier this year the Obama administration released a comprehensive action plan to reduced childhood obesity prevalence to 5% from the current 17% by 2030. Critical elements of this plan include providing healthy food options in schools, educating parents on better nutrition and getting kids physically active at school and home.
Children’s Budget: Representative Danny Davis and Senator Menendez have introduced the Children’s Budget Act (H.R. 3772/S. 3108), legislation that would require federal spending on children’s programs to be separately displayed and analyzed in the President’s budget, illustrating how the federal government allocates resources for children. What importance, if any, do you place on creating a Children’s Budget and why?
As a parent, I believe the biggest investment we can make in our future is in our children. Promoting a safe and nurturing environment for children is critical to ensure that they can succeed in life and be active members of our society. To that end, I think a separate and detailed budget laying out the amount we are pledging to spend on children’s programs would be useful.
Dental: Tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting nearly 6 in 10 American children. Yet many children and families, particularly those served by Medicaid and CHIP, are unable to access appropriate oral health care. What measures, if any, should be taken to make dental care more accessible?
It’s clear that we must do a better job providing dental care coverage to children. Dental caries is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, occurring five to eight times as frequently as asthma. While progress has been made in providing low-income children with preventive dental services, more must be done. I believe we must address comprehensively by providing higher Medicaid reimbursement rates, improve educational outreach to parents and expand our oral health workforce.
Medicaid: Medicaid provides health coverage to over 42 million individuals—many of whom are children. Millions more will qualify for the program in 2014 as a result of the new health reform law. What role do you see Medicaid playing in a reformed U.S. health system and what importance, if any, do you place on the continuation and growth of this program?
The expansion of Medicaid was a critical piece of health reform and I foresee that it will play an even larger role in the future of our health care system. To that end, I was glad that the law provides increased reimbursement rates to primary care physicians for two years but I will continue to push for higher rates, so that Medicaid beneficiaries can have sufficient options when choosing a provider.
Early Education: Research shows that attendance at a preschool is a critical factor in improving children’s readiness to enter kindergarten and promoting their long-term development and success. What, if anything, can or should be done to help states offer more high quality early education opportunities for children?
I proudly helped pass a bill to create the Early Learning Challenge Fund to help states increase access to high quality early education opportunities. I successfully offered an amendment based on the needs I heard around the district: allow states to use their Fund money to partner with local colleges to create or expand early education teaching degree programs. While the legislation has been delayed, I will continue to advocate for its enactment.
Poverty: Over 18% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level. What, if anything, would you do to reduce poverty among children?
I will continue to support safety net programs to make sure that children and their families living in poverty have their basic needs met: access to food, childcare, healthcare, and housing. I will also continue to support job training programs and education reform to help end the cycle of poverty for these children and their families.
