August 31, 2002
Saturday - 12:25 am

Soldotna - Saying access to health care is a fundamental challenge to Alaskans, Frank Murkowski on Thursday announced his specific proposals for improving the state of Alaska's health care delivery system, including increasing access to health care, addressing women's special needs, reforming medical tort laws, and improving state administration of health care programs.

"I firmly believe that every Alaskan deserves access to quality health care," Murkowski told the annual meeting of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association. "As professionals in the field, you understand the challenges we face and the changes we need to make, and I'm looking forward to working with you as partners to ensure that Alaskans' health care needs are met."

As Alaska's large geographical area and widely distributed communities make providing access to health care a significant challenge, Murkowski offered several specific proposals for improving access to health care. If elected, Murkowski said he will:

• Provide incentives to train more Alaskans for health care service careers, especially in rural areas with high needs, by working to provide land grants to help the University of Alaska fund expanded medical training programs, and by increasing medical vocational programs offered at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward
• Add health care professionals to the Alaska Workfare Investment Board to help that board address shortages in Alaska health care programs
• Work to lower administrative costs, streamline state regulations and reduce reporting requirements to speed the process of providing state licenses to health care professionals
• Maintain and expand a state transportation system so Alaskans can travel to health care providers, or when that is impractical, provide distance delivery of services by telemedicine and other innovative techniques

In outlining other elements of his health care policy, Murkowski also he would:

• Work with the Legislature to craft meaningful tort reform legislation to guarantee aggrieved parties have access to courts, but to restore sanity to litigation and damage awards
• Address Alaska's serious substance abuse and mental health challenges by strengthening successful treatment options, by enforcing state drug and alcohol laws, and by strengthening public safety forces to interdict illegal and banned substances
• Maintain Denali KidCare, a program Murkowski helped create in the U.S. Senate to provide federal funding to make health care available to children in low-income families
• Meet the challenge of Alaska's aging population by directing his Health and Social Services commissioner to reexamine restrictions on new long-term care beds, and identify communities currently under-served by these policies
• Hold his Health and Social Services commissioner responsible for reducing the state's centralized health bureaucracy and promoting flexibility and innovative service delivery
• Direct state insurance officials to work with Alaska's small businesses to create insurance pools for health care coverage
• Address high prescription drug prices by directing his Health and Social Services commissioner to use the state's purchasing power to win discounts on prescription medicines
• Aggressively pursue state Medicaid waivers to provide timely and appropriate care to underserved populations
• Build on his history of support for women's health care and breast and cervical cancer prevention to advocate for improved health care services specifically for women

"For the last few years our state has seen more finger-pointing and blame games than cooperation and problem-solving," Murkowski said.  "There have been task forces, commissions and studies - even a few recommendations - but little in the way of comprehensive action. I believe the approaches I've outlined will go a long way toward helping ensure that Alaskans can get access to quality health care at a reasonable cost."

Source of News Release:

Murkowski for Governor Campaign
Web Site

 

 

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