Kirk crusades for health care for all
I am writing to thank Mark Kirk for his tireless work and accomplishments on behalf of our communities as well as for his global policies. Unlike some, Kirk has actually worked to implement his ideas. He lights a candle, rather than simply cursing the darkness.
After 35 years of practice in the field of internal medicine, I retired in part because of the changes occurring in the field of medicine. Congressman Kirk has acted in an insightful manner to improve our country's health-care system.
Instead of jumping on the bandwagon and trying to completely overhaul our largely excellent health-care system for the sake of a few flaws, Kirk is working to fix the flaws and save the rest. He is working to make it the best health-care system for ALL Americans.
The vast majority of working people get their health insurance through their jobs. But what do they do if they leave their job? The COBRA program allows people to keep their insurance as long as they pay the premiums, but only after a set amount of time. Kirk introduced a bill to allow people to participate in the COBRA program indefinitely and keep their insurance for life.
Needy children lacking health care is tragic, and quite frankly, obscene. The SCHIP program provides basic health care for poor kids and has been widely successful. Mark Kirk voted to renew and expand the program, and when President Bush vetoed it, Kirk voted to override.
Medical malpractice lawsuit abuse is destroying the medical community. Doctors, terrified of being sued, may order unneeded tests to ward off lawsuits. In particularly litigious states, such as Illinois, malpractice insurance has become so outrageously expensive that many doctors simply close their offices and move. This harms all of us and drives up the cost of health care for everyone. Congressman Kirk consistently votes to reign in medical malpractice lawsuits so doctors can work without fear of losing their livelihoods due to frivolous and baseless lawsuits.
Most recently, Congressman Kirk saved our VA Hospital in North Chicago from closing. His creativity led to the construction of the first joint Navy-VA Hospital in the nation. This state-of-the-art facility will care for nearly 100,000 veterans, sailors, retirees and family members. The hospital is named after a great American hero, Capt. James A. Lovell.
The above is only a small part of Congressman Kirk's actions on our behalf. I urge you to keep in mind the individual and not a specific party.
Gerald Buckman
Highland Park