Health Care for All Americans
Jeff Merkley gets his perspective on health care from his wife, Mary, a professional nurse who sees the system through the eyes of patients and their families--the people that ought to matter most.
Jeff has fought to improve health care quality and access here in Oregon. He's ready to take on the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies to ensure that every American has access to affordable, quality health care coverage.
Universal Access
Jeff strongly believes that we must fulfill President Truman's vision of health care for every man, woman and child in our country. Each day, it's becoming more difficult for working families to pay for visits to the doctor and essential medicine. It's unacceptable that some Americans are without health care. In the U.S. Senate, Jeff will fight for universal access to affordable, quality health care coverage.
Wyden's Healthy Americans Act
One of Jeff's first acts as Oregon's next U.S. Senator will be to sign on as a cosponsor of Oregon Senator Ron Wyden's health care bill, the Healthy Americans Act. The Healthy Americans Act would guarantee every American universal, affordable, comprehensive, portable, high-quality health coverage that is as good or better than members of Congress have today.
Addressing the Nursing Shortage
Jeff strongly supports the Capps Nurse Reinvestment Act and would sponsor similar legislation in the U.S. Senate. This plan establishes a National Nurse Service Corps to provide educational scholarships to nurses that commit to serve in a health facility determined to have a critical shortage of nurses.
Grants would also be available to help individuals at any level of the nursing profession-from a nursing aide to an individual pursuing a doctoral degree--obtaining more education. The bill also provides funding for public service announcements and supports nursing recruitment grants for educational facilities. In addition, it would expand Medicare and Medicaid funding for clinical nursing education and reimburses some home health agencies, hospices and nursing homes for nurse training.
Read more about the Merkley Plan to Solve the Nation's Nursing Crisis.
More Information on Merkley and Health Care
- Merkley Touts Plans to Make Medicine, Long-Term Care More Affordable for Seniors
- PETITION: Tell George Bush to Stop Injecting Right-Wing Politics into Women's Health Care
- Gordon Smith Flip-Flop Alert: Ron Wyden's Health Care Plan
- Gordon Smith Flip Flop Alert: Medicare Physician Pay
- Smith: I Care About Children's Health Care (In An Election Year)
- Second Merkley TV Spot: Jeff's Wife Mary - A Registered Nurse - Highlights Merkley's Commitment to Stand Up to Health Care Special Interests
- Planned Parenthood Endorses Jeff Merkley
- Solving the Nation's Nursing Crisis
- Speaker Jeff Merkley Pledges to Support Senator Wyden’s “Healthy Americans Act”
- American Nurses Association Endorses Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate
- Merkley Statement on the 35th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Decision
- Merkley Statement on the President's Veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program
Posted November 7, 2007
Issues
Jeff Merkley was born in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, the son of a sawmill worker. He's fought hard for working families in Oregon and he's ready to help lead America.
As Oregon's Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley led one of the most effective, efficient and progressive legislative sessions in Oregon's history - with big achievements for schools, ethics, health care, jobs, alternative energy, and protections for working families.
Discover why Jeff Merkley is ready to lead.
Read the Oregonian profile of Jeff Merkley's life before politics.
© 2008. Jeff Merkley for Oregon. P.O. Box 29136, Portland, OR 97296. 503-274-4439
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