Republicans in Harrisburg have had 12 years to address the health care crisis we now face—and they’ve done nothing. There are more than 1 million uninsured Pennsylvanians. Every person in Pennsylvania, regardless of age or income, deserves the same health coverage that the politicians in Harrisburg provide themselves.

Although we have some of the best health care in the world, our health care delivery system is broken – it is by far the most expensive, complicated, and unfair health care system in the free world.

Health care is often cost prohibitive for small and start-up businesses. However, 50% of new jobs are created by businesses like these.

I support universal single-payer health coverage which would benefit:

• Medicare beneficiaries who would get their prescriptions filled without fuss.

• The 46 million Americans without health insurance.

• We must allow small businesses to join together their purchasing power and buy group health insurance to provide their employees the coverage they deserve.

• Everybody else whose premiums, copays, and denied services keep expanding.

• Small business owners who must choose between reasonable profits and responsible benefits for their employees.

• Large businesses for whom health care coverage for their employees is a huge drain on the bottom line.

• Labor unions that bargain away better wage increases just to hold the line on health care benefits for their members.

• Government employers, including school districts, for whom employee health care costs are rising so fast that valuable programs have to be cut to balance their budgets.

• Taxpayers shouldering the hidden cost of uncompensated care.

• Doctors allowed to actually make medical decisions in their private practices, and receive fair, consistent payment.

• Nurses given time to provide excellent patient care.

Until we have Universal single-payer health coverage, I support the following interim measures:

• Laws that require insurance companies to do the right thing and cover the health services that people need including: mental health services, women’s health care needs, and drug and alcohol abuse treatment.

• Interim universal coverage plan such as the bipartisan one being adopted in Massachusetts.

• Providing tax credits to any small business that provides health insurance to their employees. This will provide incentive to the employer, reduce their cost burden and still allow quality coverage for the employee.

• To keep good doctors in PA, avoid frivolous lawsuits and protect the rights of patients, I will support the institution of a mediation board that reviews medical malpractice lawsuits and removes those with no merit from the system.

I know what it is like to be without health insurance when it is needed most. When my wife and I were without health insurance coverage for the usual 90 days in between jobs, I had appendicitis and had to have emergency surgery. I could not pay the huge medical bills for this surgery and had to declare personal bankruptcy. There are thousands of others in the same boat – millions nationwide. This has to stop.