HEALTH CARE

On January 27, 1998, Dr. James Navin from Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii met with Neil Abercrombie to discuss how inadequate reimbursement levels for Pap smear screening could lead to the suspension of the test in Hawaii. Congressman Abercrombie agreed that Hawaii women and their families could not afford the loss of our local laboratories’ efficiency and expertise on Pap smear pathologies, so he introduced the Investment in Women’s Health Act. In 1999, the Medicare Balanced Budget Act Refinement legislation contained a provision directing the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to increase the Pap smear reimbursement to a level that covers the costs of doing the lab work and a commitment to protecting the lives of women in our community. The issue bears directly on the health of Hawaii’s women because Pap smears helped produce a 70 percent decline in cervical cancer death rates over the past 50 years.

In 2009, Abercrombie wholeheartedly supported healthcare coverage for 11 million children through an expansion of CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which will provide federal funding for 3,700 of Hawaii’s keiki, saving the state millions of dollars each year. Federal funding will also be provided to cover lawful permanent resident pregnant women present in the U.S. for less than five years. This will not only ensure healthier babies who need less medical attention after birth, it will save the State of Hawaii nearly $5 million annually.

An ardent supporter of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Act and critical funding for its programs, Abercrombie supported a five-year extension to guarantee access to lifesaving medical services, primary care, and medications for low-income patients with 6 AIDS and HIV. This will ensure funding and care for one of the most vulnerable populations in Hawaii.

When the Compacts of Free Association were reauthorized in 2003, Abercrombie secured $30 million in annual funding through 2023, for a total of $600 million, to offset the impact of compact migrants in Hawaii and other Pacific territories. He also included additional authority for the state to seek funding for private health care organizations that serve the compact migrant population. Because this funding has never completely covered the State of Hawaii’s healthcare costs for compact migrants, the Congressman included a provision in the Health Care Reform Act to provide federal Medicaid reimbursements.

Congressman Abercrombie has long derided the legislative stalemate on the perennial issue of medical malpractice. During the debate on the Health Care Reform bill in the House, he offered an amendment to start up a nation-wide demonstration project on medical malpractice. The demonstration would cover, under the Federal Tort Claims Act, charity care providers in medically underserved areas including those in high-risk specialties. This proposal is unique in fully protecting a victim’s right to sue, allowing for jury trials and lowering the societal costs associated with defensive medicine.

Reforming the Medicare Physician Payment system is also key to fixing our healthcare system. Abercrombie supported House efforts to protect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physicians by permanently replacing the broken Medicare physician payment system and repeal the scheduled 21% percent fee reduction. This needed reform is supported by the American Medical Association and AARP.

Abercrombie has also championed greater health and safety issues for the country. He helped grant the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products, the #1 cause of preventable U.S. deaths, and to stop tobacco companies from targeting our children. He also supported House efforts to fundamentally change the way we protect our food supply and close security gaps exposed by recent food-borne illness outbreaks.