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These four principles guide my health care policy:

• I support affordable health care for all Montanans and Americans
• We must ensure families have choice in doctors and plans
• We must control costs of health care
• We must use more preventive care to improve health and control costs

In the 2005 Montana Legislature, here’s what we did:

• Passed a comprehensive prescription drug program that provides more prescription drug coverage to Montana seniors – Big Sky Rx. We took on the big pharmaceutical companies and created a good program that benefits Montanans. I worked closely with AARP to pass this legislation and enact one of the most comprehensive state prescription drug programs in the country.
• We fully funded the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
• We provided tax credits and pooling to small business to provide health insurance to their employees. We worked with State Auditor John Morrison, Governor Brian Schweitzer and Democrats and Republicans in the 2005 Montana Legislature to pass this measure to help small business across the state.
• In 2005 we increased provider rates to improve health care accessibility.

I will take that leadership to the federal level. Here is what I plan to do in the U.S. Senate:

• We must fix the Medicare Prescription Drug Program

–Simplify the Medicare Prescription Drug Program so seniors can make wise choices

–We should allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to cut drug costs

–Provide more federal resources so counselors can help seniors with the complicated program

• I intend to expand the successful Children’s Health Insurance Program to all children under 18. This federal-state program works.
• I will staunchly protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the Indian Health Service from federal cuts.
• As we did in Montana, we must provide tax credits to businesses that provide health care to workers.
• We must invest in preventive care to improve health and control costs.
• We must ensure state regulation of insurance because some, like Senator Conrad Burns, want to allow cuts in health care benefits to families and workers through federal control of health insurance.
• We must invest in public health infrastructure because it is a first line of defense in health and our national security. The federal, state and local governments must work together to ensure a strong public health infrastructure.
• Like Montana, we must ensure gender equity in insurance. That is why I asked the Montana Attorney General to rule on whether contraceptives for women must be covered under Montana health insurance plans. The Attorney General agreed. I will advocate for gender equity in insurance at the federal level as well.