Cory Gardner on Health Care
Ebola: immediate ban on all travel from West African
The candidates were asked how they would evaluate the federal response to the Ebola crisis. "We ought to listen to the health-care professionals," Sen. Udall said. "If they believe we ought to close our borders, we ought to restrict flights to and from West Africa. Let's listen to them. But senators and congressmen shouldn't be making those decisions. We should be supporting the resources that are necessary to meet the Ebola challenge."
Gardner called for an immediate traffic ban on all travel from West African countries where the Ebola virus is spreading. "If the president's not willing to put into a place a travel ban, then we should have 100% screening of the people who are coming from those affected areas," Gardner said.
The two tangled over cuts to the Center for Disease Control, with Udall saying the congressman cut funds that would have helped the agency and Gardner saying he opposed tax dollars going to programs such as Jazzercise. Source: Denver Post on 2014 Colorado Senate debate , Oct 15, 2014
ObamaCare has led to 335,000 cancellations in Colorado
In recent months, Gardner, like most Colorado conservatives, has assailed Udall for his support of the Affordable Care Act.
Udall's office was recently involved in a dispute over health insurance policy cancellations in Colorado and Gardner called on the state's division of insurance to provide his office with updated cancellation figures.
The updated numbers found that as of mid-January about 335,000 Coloradans had received cancellation notices, though about 92 percent were offered renewal options.
"It's stunning that ObamaCare has led to this many canceled plans, and now it's coming to the forefront," Gardner said, at the time. Source: Denver Post on 2014 Colorado Senate race , Feb 26, 2014
System is broke and broken; go back to free market
Our federal healthcare system is broke and broken. Free market solutions have been abandoned in favor of government care & mandates. We must develop healthcare options that deliver increased quality of care at a lower cost, freeing consumers to make thei own choice about their own care. Electronic medical records & interstate insurance are all pieces of the solution. If the federal government continues on its healthcare spending spree, it will take more than a band-aid to put the budget back together. Source: 2012 House campaign website, corygardner.com "On The Issues" , Nov 2, 2010
Voted YES on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts.
Proponent's Arguments for voting Yes:
[Sen. DeMint, R-SC]: The Democrats have Medicare on a course of bankruptcy. Republicans are trying to save Medicare & make sure there are options for seniors in the future. Medicare will not be there 5 or 10 years from now. Doctors will not see Medicare patients at the rate [Congress will] pay.
[Sen. Ayotte, R-NH]: We have 3 choices when it comes to addressing rising health care costs in Medicare. We can do nothing & watch the program go bankrupt in 2024. We can go forward with the President's proposal to ration care through an unelected board of 15 bureaucrats. Or we can show real leadership & strengthen the program to make it solvent for current beneficiaries, and allow future beneficiaries to make choices.
Opponent's Arguments for voting No:
[Sen. Conrad, D-ND]: In the House Republican budget plan, the first thing they do is cut $4 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years. For the wealthiest among us, they give them an additional $1 trillion in tax reductions. To offset these massive new tax cuts, they have decided to shred the social safety net. They have decided to shred Medicare. They have decided to shred program after program so they can give more tax cuts to those who are the wealthiest among us.
[Sen. Merkley, D-OR]: The Republicans chose to end Medicare as we know it. The Republican plan reopens the doughnut hole. That is the hole into which seniors fall when, after they have some assistance with the first drugs they need, they get no assistance until they reach a catastrophic level. It is in that hole that seniors have had their finances devastated. We fixed it. Republicans want to unfix it and throw seniors back into the abyss. Then, instead of guaranteeing Medicare coverage for a fixed set of benefits for every senior--as Medicare does now--the Republican plan gives seniors a coupon and says: Good luck. Go buy your insurance. If the insurance goes up, too bad. Reference: Ryan Budget Plan; Bill HCR34&SCR21 ; vote number 11-HV277 on Apr 15, 2011
Voted YES on repealing the "Prevention and Public Health" slush fund.
Congressional Summary:Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to repeal provisions establishing and appropriating funds to the Prevention and Public Health Fund (a Fund to provide for expanded and sustained national investment in prevention and public health programs to improve health and help restrain the rate of growth in private and public sector health care costs). Rescinds any unobligated balanced appropriated to such Fund.
[Rep. Pitts, R-PA]: Section 4002 of PPACA establishes a Prevention and Public Health Fund, which my bill, H.R. 1217, would repeal. The PPACA section authorizes the appropriation of and appropriates to the fund from the Treasury the following amounts:
$500 million for FY 2010
$750 million for FY11
$1 billion for FY12
$1.25 billion for FY13
$1.5 billion for FY14
and for FY15 and every fiscal year thereafter, $2 billion.
We have created a slush fund from which the Secretary of HHS can spend without any congressional oversight or approval. I would suggest to my colleagues that, if you wanted more funding to go towards smoking cessation or to any other program, the health care law should have contained an explicit authorization. By eliminating this fund, we are not cutting any specific program. This is about reclaiming our oversight role of how Federal tax dollars should be used.
[Rep. Waxman, D-CA]: This bill represents the Republicans' newest line of attack to disrupt, dismantle, and to ultimately destroy the Affordable Care Act. For many years, Republicans have joined with Democrats in supporting programs to prevent disease, to promote health and, in turn, to cut health care costs. But today, the House will vote to end funding for the first and only Federal program with dedicated, ongoing resources designed to make us a healthier Nation. Reference: To repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund; Bill H.1217 ; vote number 11-HV264 on Apr 13, 2011
Opposes government-run healthcare.
Gardner opposes the CC survey question on government-run healthcare
The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.
The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Federal government run health care system" Source: Christian Coalition Survey 10-CC-q5 on Aug 11, 2010
Defund, repeal, & replace federal care with free market.
Gardner signed the Contract From America
The Contract from America, clause 7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care:
Defund, repeal and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling Source: The Contract From America 10-CFA07 on Jul 8, 2010
Repeal the Job-Killing Health Care Law.
Gardner co-sponsored Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act
Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act.
Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions. Source: H.R.2 11-HR002 on Jan 5, 2011
Gardner sponsored keeping ObamaCare's prevention, treatment, & recovery services
Excerpts from Letter from 20 Senators to President Trump: Repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with no clear plan for replacement will substantially worsen the opioid epidemic. Last year, Congress took important steps to address this national public health crisis, enacting two bipartisan laws to address the opioid epidemic and reform the way our health system treats mental health and substance use disorders.
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act improved access to substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services. It promoted the use of best practices when prescribing opioid pain-killers, strengthening state prescription drug monitoring programs, and expanding access to the life-saving drug naloxone.
The 21st Century Cures Act also included critical mental health and substance use disorder reforms, strengthening enforcement of mental health parity laws, promoting the integration of physical and mental health care. Most importantly, the 21st Century Cures Act dedicated $1 billion in new grant funding, which will be essential to helping states provide prevention, treatment, and recovery services to patients These bipartisan advances will be fundamentally undermined by repeal of the ACA.
Opposing argument: (Warren, D-MA, in StatNews.com, 11/28/2016): Senator Elizabeth Warren railed against the 21st Century Cures, saying the bill had been "hijacked" by the pharmaceutical industry. "I cannot vote for this bill,'' Warren said. "I will fight it because I know the difference between compromise and extortion." The current legislation includes $500 million for the FDA, well below the amount Democrats had sought. Warren and Washington Senator Patty Murray have long argued that they would only support Cures legislation that included significant investment in basic medical research. While Warren said she supported many of the provisions, she called others "huge giveaways" to the drug industry. Source: Letter Regarding Fighting the Opioid Crisis 17LTR-ACA on Feb 3, 2017
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