BY LORI ANNE OLIWA
Correspondent
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) As the new chairman of the House committee that funds Medicare, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) sees the problem of uninsured individuals, particularly children, as his biggest challenge.
Pallone said last week he will aggressively address the inadequacies that currently exist in the nation’s health care system as chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“This new Congress must address the inadequacies that currently exist in our broken health care system,” he said. “In a country as wealthy as ours, it is simply unacceptable for over 46 million Americans to be uninsured.”
Pallone said one of his top priorities will be to strengthen the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is commonly known in New Jersey as Family Care.
“Children comprise the largest group of those who are uninsured,” Pallone noted. “While 125,000 children are currently covered under the program, there are many more who are eligible but are not enrolled.”
While more federal funding for programs like SCHIP is crucial in Pallone’s view, he also feels that more outreach is needed in places where potential recipients are located. Furthermore, in order for enrollments to go smoothly, he said the overall application process must be improved.
“Many people have voiced complaints about various aspects of the application process,” he said. “There needs to be better coordination, oversight and outreach in order to deliver quality services.”
Pallone was chosen by his Democratic colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to chair the Subcommittee on Health, which has sole jurisdiction over Medicaid, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The subcommittee shares jurisdiction of Medicare with the Ways and Means Committee and oversees public health, biomedical programs, food and drug safety, mental health and research, and hospital construction. Pallone has served on the committee for 14 years, according to his Washington, D.C., office. As chairman, he will set the committee’s agenda, determine the range of topics to be discussed, identify priorities and preside over committee meetings.
Commenting on his appointment, he said, “This is very important for New Jersey.”
When asked about his short- and long-term goals as chairman, Pallone said that Democrats “were elected to address issues of general affordability.”
Pallone’s appointment comes at a time when health care and the issue of its affordability is a topic of debate at the state and national levels.
According to the congressman, there are 46 million Americans who are not insured.
“In fact, the number of uninsured individuals is increasing every year. Employer-provided health care is decreasing, while more employees are being asked to pay a portion of the costs,” explained Pallone.
“Many employers cannot afford to provide health benefits anymore. Something has to be done to assist employers and business owners, so they can better afford coverage for themselves as well as their employees,” he added.
A Long Branch native, Pallone has also identified the health and well-being of senior citizens as a top priority and said he wants to provide proactive management of Medicare, particularly the new Medicare Part D program. As chairman, Pallone is under no formal mandates in terms of determining the priorities of his committee, but he did state that the Democratic leadership identified the Medicare Prescription Drug Program as a critical issue. Pallone is a proponent of expanding Medicare.
“The new drug program is good, but there are still gaps,” he said. Pallone referred to these gaps as “the donut hole of Medicare,” and further explained “that is a hardship for people on the program.”
Another priority mentioned by the congressman are New Jersey doctors and hospitals who are receiving low reimbursement from federal programs. Under Medicare, it is estimated that New Jersey will be facing a $5 billion reduction in physician reimbursements between the years 2007 and 2014 unless Congress takes action to prevent cuts from occurring.
Medicaid is also an area that needs improvement, he said. However, as is always the case with public programs, “levels of funding continue to be problematic,” Pallone said.
Pallone said he is optimistic about achieving his goals because of the Democratic majority in Congress.
He reiterated that the number of uninsured individuals is rising on a daily basis and offered that as proof that much was not addressed by the Republicans regarding health care.
“Not much input was solicited from the minority in terms of being able to speak and in proposing amendments to legislation,” he said.
Pallone wants to change that, and said he is eager to get input from Republicans as well as Democrats. Indeed, he feels it is the only way to get anything accomplished.
Pallone was officially sworn in to his ninth full term representing the 6th Congressional District of New Jersey on Jan. 4. The district is composed of most of Middlesex County, the Bayshore Region of Monmouth County, the Township of Plainfield in Union County, and Franklin in Somerset County.