BIOGRAPHY
I serve in the United States Congress as the Chairman of the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee and have been a Member of Congress since 1989. I represent the Second Congressional District of Massachusetts, and live in Springfield.
Q1: While the U.S. has made improvements in the number of children who have health insurance, many children remain uninsured. In addition, federal funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will expire unless the program is reauthorized by March 2009. What priority do you place on SCHIP reauthorization? What can be done, if anything, to increase the number of children who have access to health insurance?
I believe that the reauthorization of the SCHIP program must be the first health care initiative we take up in the 110th Congress. This is a program with a proven track record, and it can not be allowed to lapse. The Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over this successful program, and we will closely examine and pursue avenues to bring more children into the program. Working with the states has been very successful.
Q2: While the federal government has supported many initiatives to improve health care quality, these efforts often focus on adults and Medicare recipients. What steps, if any, would you support to enhance the quality of children's health care?
Sadly, in difficult economic times in particular, it seems as if children and children's programs are the first to be hit by budget cuts. Most of the programs that fund children are done so through the discretionary part of the federal budget, so they are subject to the annual budget fights. We should replicate quality initiatives that have worked for adult health care programs and gear them specifically for children.
Q3: Senator Menendez introduced S. 3277, the "Children's Budget Act," which would add a requirement to future federal budgets to list the different sources of federal funding for children's programs, thereby illustrating how the federal government prioritizes and allocates resources affecting children. What importance, if any, do you place on creating a Children's Budget and why?
I think that creating a Children's Budget is an interesting idea in order to illustrate what the federal government's priorities are, especially as they relate to children and children's initiatives. Most children programs are funded through discretionary funds that compete each year against other discretionary programs. What is needed even more than a children's budget in Washington, however, is leaders in the Congress who will not stray in their convictions to children.
Q4: Health care reform may be a big topic for Congressional debate in 2009. What initiatives, if any, would you proactively support? How do you see children's healthcare fitting into this larger debate?
Health care reform will be a big topic for Congressional debate in the 111th Congress. It has been highlighted in the Presidential debates and campaign. I anticipate the budgetary climate to be a very difficult one in the next few years ahead, and fear that a drastic overhaul of our health care system will not be possibly in this tough climate. We should quickly reauthorize SCHIP and take up stem cell research.
Q5: The Federal Poverty Measure has remained virtually unchanged since it was first created in the 1960s, leading to various proposals to modify it. What changes, if any, would you make to the current method of determining how many Americans lives in poverty and why?
The federal poverty measure clearly has not changed since the 1960s, but clearly the world has changed since that time. American families today pay more for energy, transportation, housing and childcare than they did in years past, and none of these expenses are reflected in the current measure. The Congress has held hearings recently and is thoroughly examining this issue. With the economic downturn, I expect more action to be taken on the poverty measure.
Q6: The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 is set to expire on September 30, 2009. This legislation includes a range of programs—such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, the summer food service program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Which programs supported by the legislation, if any, would you support? What can be done, if anything, through this legislation or other vehicles to help children, families, and communities address the growing childhood obesity crisis?
I support the programs within the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act. I have met with WIC administrators in Massachusetts and know how healthy, local food has been included in the WIC food package. Education about healthy eating is also part of the program. I support the work they are doing, but we are all in this together. Parents, schools – all of us – need to make healthy eating a priority and an affordable option for…
Q7: Child poverty has been shown to have an effect on children's health, education, and development. What do you think should be done by the federal government to reduce poverty among children in Massachusetts and throughout New England?
Child poverty has been shown to have an effect on children's health education and development. And in an economic downturn, sadly, the "have nots" have even less. It is a combination of local, state and federal efforts to making sure that safety net programs like the school breakfast and lunch programs continue, and that after school programming is offered to keep all our children involved in positive activities.
Q8: The increasing incidence of chronic diseases in children (i.e. asthma, diabetes, mental health) presents major challenges to our health care system. How would you work to prevent disease and ensure children have access to the health services they need?
Chronic illnesses amongst children pose a major challenge to our health system. I support the reauthorization of SCHIP and funding for other programs that ensure that children have access to health insurance. On preventable diseases, I encourage healthy eating programs in our homes and in our schools. Physical education, in many schools, has almost disappeared from the schedule. A national conversation about the health of our children needs to occur.
