Q: What is your message about healthcare to the residents of southern Illinois?

A: America has the most advanced health care system in the world. We have the finest doctors, the top hospitals, and the best access to cutting-edge, life-saving prescription drugs and medical technology. But we also face skyrocketing health care costs, too many uninsured workers, and soaring prescription drug costs.

As House Speaker, it has been my priority to move beyond the talk, and pass health care legislation that will make a real difference in the lives of working Americans - and we are making good progress. In fact, the recent Congress took the historic step of helping our seniors afford the medication they need by adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. The legislation further helped families by providing for Health Savings Accounts, which offer the opportunity to set aside dollars TAX FREE for future medical expenses.

But we also know there is more to do. There are too many uninsured workers. An abundance of frivolous lawsuits and excessive jury awards has inflated health care costs, and caused physicians - and especially OB/GYNs - to leave our state. And American families are still struggling to pay prescription drug costs. We continue to look for new ways to ensure that Americans have access to affordable, quality health care.

Q: What is the one health care issue you would like to see solved as soon as possible?

A: Today there are more than 45 million uninsured Americans. That is unacceptable. At a time when we are making unprecedented advances in the health care and prescription drug fields, we must ensure that all Americans have access to the care and medication they need. We also need to recognize that the uninsured inflate costs for everyone because they are often forced to bypass preventative care, and seek treatment in emergency rooms, where costs are highest.

The uninsured are not necessarily those with the lowest incomes, as those individuals often are covered through Medicaid and other assistance programs. Instead, many are small business owners, or workers who lack job-related health benefits and cannot afford the outside expense of insurance. We can address this reality in part by passing Association Health Plans, which would permit small business owners to join together and negotiate lower coverage costs for their employees - just as larger corporations do today.

In addition, we must continue to encourage use of Health Savings Accounts, which provide a financially savvy way to set aside dollars for future medical costs. Health Savings Account dollars are completely tax free, earn interest, and can be rolled over from year to year.

Q: The high cost of health insurance is on the minds of most people in southern Illinois. What would you like to tell them?

A: First and foremost, Congress must take action to limit frivolous lawsuits, which have inflated insurance costs, and left millions of Americans without coverage. This reality is felt particularly in the small business community, where business owners increasingly find they simply can't afford to provide insurance.

I am encouraged by recent action in the Illinois General Assembly to address this situation with wide-ranging medical malpractice reform and caps on non-economic damage awards. Specifically, state lawmakers have been working on a bipartisan basis to place limits on awards for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, which are ultimately passed onto consumers. The caps would allow insurers to better predict future liabilities, and ease the pressure to further raise rates.

We must continue the same initiatives on the federal level. Members of the U.S. House have previously passed legislation that holds doctors responsible for their work, but also puts a stop to excessive litigation that is crippling our health care network. The legislation further ensures that financial awards go to the claimants in a case, and not their attorneys. I will continue to encourage the Senate to take similar action, and move a bill to the President for his signature.

An increasing number of Americans also are using the combination of a Health Savings Account and a high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP) to meet their needs. The option allows an individual to pay routine medical costs through an HSA, while maintaining the low cost insurance plan to cover any major medical expenses. A recent study indicates more than one million Americans are taking advantage of this option.

Q: Doctors are leaving southern Illinois to practice elsewhere because of high medical malpractice insurance costs. When do you think this will be resolved and what do you think will do it?

A: This problem can only be solved through changing a tort system that fuels high insurance rates and chases doctors out of state. In Illinois, we are losing doctors because of rising insurance costs, threatening our access to care and limiting treatment options. This is particularly true among OB/GYNs, leaving expectant parents in some parts of the state to wonder if their doctor will still be in business to deliver their baby.

As mentioned previously, the U.S. House has passed medical liability legislation several times in recent years. It is now time for the Senate to take up this issue and act to further address the health care needs of the nation. Enhancing patient care should not be a partisan, political issue - rather it's an everyday concern where the consequences can mean the difference between life and death.

It is common sense: doctors cannot continue their practices if they can't afford the cost of insurance. We need to change the system, and I'm committed to making that happen.

Q: Name one health related legislative act by Congress that has had a positive effect on the people of southern Illinois, and briefly discuss it.

A: For the first time in our nation's history, Congress took the historic step of strengthening an outdated Medicare system by adding a much-needed prescription drug benefit. That action has helped our state's 1.6 million seniors better afford the medication they need, and it has assisted more than 41 million seniors nationwide.

Americans have talked for years about the need to modernize Medicare and to assist seniors in paying for prescription drugs - the recent Congress took action. As a result, for the past year seniors have been able to use their temporary Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Cards to save on medication. In fact, in some instances, seniors report paying 60 percent less on their prescriptions than they were just one year ago.

Those savings will become permanent in January 2006, when the full Medicare prescription drug benefit goes into effect. On average, the full benefit is expected to save seniors approximately 37 percent on their prescription costs. Seniors will see the difference in their bank accounts, and the benefit will help ensure that no one is forced to choose between paying their bills and the medication they need.

Q: Some approved pharmaceuticals are being pulled from the market because they were deemed unsafe. Is this a failure of the FDA? What can be done to ensure the safety of our drugs?

A: When questions of public health and safety arise, it is incumbent upon government to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to protect its citizens. As a nation, we rightly choose to error on the side of safety when it comes to medication, resulting in the highest safety standards in the world for pharmaceuticals.

That is why I have serious reservations when some suggest our nation can best address soaring medication costs by re-importing prescription drugs from other nations. The Food and Drug Administration has studied this option and consistently said that it simply cannot ensure the safety and security of re-imported pharmaceuticals. To dismiss that warning, I believe, is irresponsible.

Moreover, there is no excuse for the United States to rely on foreign nations to meet its pharmaceutical needs. We have the best doctors, research and technology here at home - now we must work together to ensure that those resources are available to all our residents. We are making progress through initiatives like the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Health Savings Accounts. Now we must continue that progress to further empower Americans to make the best health care choices possible.

Q: Our two national parties seem to be more polarized that ever. How will they work together to solve the nation's health care issues?

A: There are indeed fundamental differences between the parties when it comes to leading our nation. That dissension in and of itself is healthy, and it serves as the foundation for the two-party system. It becomes a problem only when individuals let partisanship and politics take precedence over policy.

As Speaker, I have consistently worked to bring together members of both parties to get things done for the American people. From "No Child Left Behind" to supporting the men and women of our military, we have successfully moved bipartisan legislation that has made a direct difference in people's lives. I am proud of those accomplishments, and will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done.

This cooperation is particularly important when it comes to health care. My constituents want to know what we are doing to make health care and prescription drugs more affordable and accessible - they do not care to hear about partisan squabbling. We must work together to address these questions, and ensure that our health care system continues to be the envy of the world for generations to come.