WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) will hold a series of health care forums to hear from Southern Missouri experts, advocates and providers about their ideas to improve local and national programs.  Emerson’s stops will inform her approach to health care reform issues up for debate in the U.S. Congress, where she is a key supporter of rural health care and cost-control measures for prescription drugs.  The Eighth District Representative is holding events in Cape Girardeau, Farmington, Poplar Bluff, Van Buren and West Plains.

“Especially in an economic downturn, there is no more important issue to every American than health care.  It affects workers and their families who are facing cutbacks, disabled and senior citizens living on fixed incomes, and children without insurance.  For all of these groups, one serious illness is all that stands between getting by and utter catastrophe,” Emerson said.  “My goal is to hear from the people who deal with real-life issues every day.  Then we can identify where the problems are worst and start to address them without cutting anyone’s benefits or compromising the standard of care.”

Emerson is confident that significant health care reform can be accomplished in the U.S. House of Representatives if congressional leaders will listen to members of both parties.

“It doesn’t matter if a good idea comes from a Democrat or a Republican – we all represent Americans who have health care at the top of their list. Our system of health care is excellent, but access to affordable care is often impossible.  Likewise, Americans pay the world’s highest prices for prescription drugs, and we have plenty of opportunities to improve access to generic medicines, increase price competition for name-brand drugs, and assure taxpayer-funded programs get the best value for our money,” Emerson said.

Emerson says preserving patient choice and personal relationships with their physicians is at the top of her list.

“I’m sure I’ll hear a lot at these forums about what is wrong with the existing system, but I am also interested in what is working well.  In rural parts of our country, there are tremendous opportunities to use technology to strengthen our health care delivery system.  We also face tremendous issues on access, particularly when the nearest hospital can be half-a-county away,” Emerson said.  “Our best asset by far is the people who choose to work in the health care sector in rural Missouri.  They really have the compassion and the skill set that our entire system depends upon.”

Emerson’s health care forums are open to the public.

TUESDAY, April 14 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
OMC Foundation Community Room, 403 Washington Street, West Plains

TUESDAY, April 14 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Float Stream Restaurant, 102 Main Street, Van Buren

WEDNESDAY, April 15 from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
    Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center – North, Administration Building; 2620 N. Westwood Boulevard

THURSDAY, April 16 from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
    Cross Trails Medical Center, 408 South Broadview, Cape Girardeau

THURSDAY, April 16 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room, 302 North Washington, Farmington