Health Care for All Americans Feingold's State-Based Health Care Reform Act With an American-style approach to reform, that gives flexibility to the states and fuels innovation, real health care reform is within reach. I support guaranteed health care coverage for all Americans. . . . .   For too long, Congress has sat on the sidelines while the country’s health care crisis has gotten worse.  With 46 million Americans struggling without health insurance, we must find a way to break the current stalemate. -Senator Russ Feingold, announcing the State-Based Health Care Reform Act, July 24, 2006 It is time to develop an American-style, state-based, universal health care program.  Each state, with the federal government's help, should move toward ensuring that all of its residents have health care coverage.  A State-Based Health Care approach can provide universal health care for all Americans by encouraging the flexibility and creativity at the state level that’s necessary to ensure nationwide access to high-quality, affordable health care. Coverage must meet specified minimum standards and must include protections for low-income people. Pilot programs would be initiated immediately.  These programs would be: Overseen by a Health Care Reform Task Force, with members appointed by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office; Funded through offsets, making funding available immediately and without deficit spending; Evaluated by the Task Force in a report to Congress to be delivered in five years at which time Congress will be required to debate these recommendations and findings. All Americans deserve guaranteed, adequate health care.  It is far past time for Congress to take action on this pressing issue. More than 45 million Americans are uninsured – including 8 million children – and countless others are underinsured. A majority of Americans identify health care as the number one issue to be addressed by government. Employer-sponsored health care is dwindling, insurance premiums are rising, and the rates of the uninsured are rising. Our health care system has failed to keep costs in check. Costs are soaring, and there is simply no way for businesses to keep up. Without true reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket, and the number of uninsured will keep growing.   Helping Those Most in Need We cannot sustain a great nation if we do not care for our elderly, sick, disabled, and home-bound. -Senator Russ Feingold, May 10, 2006 We must increase access to affordable prescription drugs, especially for our seniors and those on fixed incomes. We can help make drug prices more affordable and save millions of taxpayer dollars by granting the federal government the ability to negotiate for the lowest possible prices for prescription drugs. We must permit seniors and others to reimport less costly, safe prescription drugs. We must not enter into future trade agreements that restrict U.S. consumers' access to imported prescription drugs. We must strengthen our health care work force to improve access to health care. We need to train and place more physicians and nurses in communities to increase access to health care in home and community settings. We can train manufacturing and service sector workers who have lost their jobs to become health care professionals in their communities. We must improve access to dental health care in underserved areas. We must provide strong support for home health care funding and services, such as long term care, especially in rural areas, and in anticipation of an increasingly older population across our country. Stem Cell Research Today we stand at the threshold of a new era of scientific achievement. Stem cell research has vast potential for curing diseases and saving lives. We must recognize the enormous potential of this research for discovering new cures and therapies for diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries. Millions of patients and their families across the nation cannot afford to wait any longer... -Senator Russ Feingold, on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, July 18, 2006 We must fund research that can lead to treatment and cures for debilitating health conditions. Stem cell research can be conducted in an ethically responsible manner to potentially achieve cures for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes, all of which increasingly affect us and place heavy and increasing financial and emotional burdens on our families. Despite its incredible promise, this research has been limited by the President since 2001. It is time for Congress to take the necessary action to provide more stem cell lines to scientists so that this research can go forward, without the federal government standing in the way. Cloning is an entirely different matter, which raises serious moral and ethical concerns, and must not be confused with or supported by efforts to develop ethically responsible stem cell research.