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Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.)
Specialty: Emergency medicine
Active license: Yes
Age: 51
Elected: 2010
Medical degree: D.O., Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 1988
Sponsored legislation: HR 2472 (prohibits healthcare entities from making reports to National Practitioner Data Bank without adequate notice and hearing procedures being afforded to the physician); HR 4242 (repeals ACA, prohibits group health plans from imposing pre-existing condition exclusions, requires group plans to cover young adult children, calls for grants to states for insurance exchanges, caps noneconomic damages in malpractice cases)
Key healthcare votes
Yea: Repeal of ACA, HR2 (2011), HR 6079 (2012); repeal funding for health insurance exchanges, HR 1213 (2011); repeal prevention and public health fund, HR 1217 (2011)
(Answers provided in an interview)
How does being a physician affect your approach to Congress?
“You’re able to consume a large amount of data in a short amount of time, come up with a differential diagnosis, come up with certain treatment and move forward.”
What happens now with the ACA?
“It’s the law of the land. I think at this point, there are things in the bill—like consumer protections—that we need to keep. We need to go in now, and as opposed to wholesale repeal—which isn’t going to happen—and remove those provisions that are most harmful. I do believe there is bipartisan support for getting rid of the Independent Payment Advisory Board.”
What’s a healthcare priority the ACA didn’t address?
“One of the greatest threats to the sustainability of Medicare is coming up with a permanent SGR fix. I think we also need to tackle tort reform.” |
