Show-Me State of Mind for June 11th, 2008

Standing with Patients, Not Drug Companies
It seems as if every time I meet with a mother, father, or grandparent around the 6th Congressional District, they express their concern and frustration with our country's health care system.
Health care premiums are rising so fast that many families can't afford adequate coverage. While median income in the U.S. has dropped since 2001, premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have skyrocketed - even for plans that can turn you away when you need it most.
This problem only worsens when we make it harder for families to gain insurance. When families can't afford adequate insurance, kids stay home sick from school, parents miss work, and emergency rooms fill up with people whose illnesses could have been prevented by a simple doctor's visit.
A parent's top priority is providing for her children. When I was raising my son and daughter, most of us didn't have to worry that if our kids got sick, insurance wouldn't cover the treatment. Today, that's not the case.
Hardworking parents are afraid to change jobs because of a gap in insurance coverage and fear medical bills that could force them into bankruptcy. And Washington has done nothing to help.
President Bush and the Congress have rewarded special interests at the cost of hardworking Americans. Bush's Medicare bill gave over $100 billion in windfall profits to big drug companies and blocked the government from negotiating lower prescription drug prices. Congressman Sam Graves was a champion of this flawed legislation. Meanwhile, Graves advocated to cut Medicare and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), leaving seniors and children behind.
We can't afford misguided priorities that put a strain on our families and our emergency rooms. Giving taxpayer funded giveaways to big drug companies is not the answer. Instead, we need to use these funds to strengthen Medicare and SCHIP, efficient programs that keep our families healthy and our hospitals running efficiently.
Missourians deserve a representative who will stand with them, and not with drug companies and special interests.
Kay Barnes is a candidate for U.S. representative for Missouri's 6th Congressional District