Health Care

The cost of health care and insurance has continued to grow significantly year after year. Many Americans are struggling to keep up, while others are simply unable to afford coverage, adding to the already large numbers of those without health insurance. The rising cost of health care poses one of the greatest challenges to the fiscal health of the nation. Rep. Petri is not convinced that there is any magic bullet solution, but he has supported a number of initiatives that together will help reduce the costs of health care and reduce the number of uninsured. Rep. Petri looks forward to working with both Republicans and Democrats in the 111th Congress to improve the health care system in the United States.

Rep. Petri supported the creation and reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which, through the BadgerCare program, provides health insurance to many lower-income Wisconsin families. Rep. Petri has also cosponsored legislation that will make it easier for Americans to purchase less expensive prescription drugs from Canada. Rep. Petri has worked with the entire Wisconsin Congressional delegation to preserve the SeniorCare program, which provides comprehensive drug coverage to over 90,000 seniors in the state.

Rep. Petri has cosponsored various bills aimed at creating greater competition in the insurance market which will help lower costs for many families and small businesses in Wisconsin. Because almost half of the uninsured people in America work for small businesses or are family members of employees who work for small businesses, Rep. Petri has consistently cosponsored the Small Business Health Fairness Act. The legislation would allow small businesses to purchase health insurance through their trade and industry associations which will make health insurance more affordable for small business employees. In the 110th Congress, he also a cosponsored the Equity for our Nation's Self-Employed Act which would help self-employed individuals across the country afford quality health coverage by eliminating the 15.3 percent tax on health insurance premiums that only self employed individuals face. This would reduce the average cost of health care for these individuals by more than $1,700 annually.

Rep. Petri believes that medical technology, such as electronic health records, and a greater emphasis on preventative care will help us make great strides in improving the quality of health care and reducing costs. Reforms that make health care costs more transparent and give consumers more control over their health care decisions could also lower costs and enhance efficiency.